Effect of Gastrointestinal Helminths and Haematological Parameters on Flea Abundance in Small Mammals in Tanzania.
- 1Department of Microbiology Parasitology and Biotechnology College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Chuo Kikuu Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania suanet.ac.tz.
- 2Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development Institute of Pest Management Chuo Kikuu Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania suanet.ac.tz.
- 3Division of Science Technology and Innovation Ministry of Education Science and Technology Dodoma Tanzania moe.gov.sa.
Abstract
Fleas are important vectors of numerous pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, helminths and protozoa, and their abundance on small mammals may be influenced by various biotic and abiotic factors. This study investigated the associations between gastrointestinal helminth infections, selected haematological parameters and flea abundance in small mammals from three selected districts of Tanzania. Two wards and two villages within each district were purposively selected for sampling in Mbulu, Lushoto and Morogoro District Council. Small mammals were captured from households, fallow lands, crop fields, plantation forests and bush habitats and identified to species or genus level using morphological keys. Fleas, blood samples and gastrointestinal tracts were collected to determine flea infestation, gastrointestinal helminth infections, packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin concentration (Hb). Associations between gastrointestinal helminths, haematological parameters and flea abundance were assessed using generalised linear mixed models. A total of 302 rodents and shrews were captured, with Mastomys natalensis (54.4%, n = 163), Rattus rattus (13.6%, n = 41) and Crocidura spp. (10.3%, n = 31) being the most abundant hosts. Overall gastrointestinal helminth prevalence was 71.2% (95% CI: 65.7-76.2), with Trichuris spp. (33.3%, n = 100), Hymenolepis diminuta (29.1%, n = 88), Angiostrongylus spp. (19.9%, n = 60) and Hymenolepis nana (15.2%, n = 46) being the most prevalent helminths. A total of 271 fleas were collected, predominantly Ctenophthalmus spp. (31.0%, n = 84), Pulex irritans (30.3%, n = 82), Dinopsyllus lypusus (28.8%, n = 78) and Nosopsyllus incisus (4.1%, n = 11). Overall gastrointestinal helminth prevalence was significantly associated with total flea abundance (p < 0.05), whereas PCV and Hb showed no significant associations (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that coinfections involving gastrointestinal helminths and fleas are common in small mammals and that helminth infections may influence flea abundance. Understanding these host-parasite interactions may improve our understanding of pathogen transmission dynamics and inform surveillance strategies for zoonotic diseases in Tanzania.
Related
- Gastrointestinal helminth abundance in the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is affected by sex, pregnancy and habitat type
- Morphological and molecular characterisation of pathogenic helminths in common dolphins (
- Quadruple co-culture vascular models of haematological malignancy CAR T cell therapy for nonclinical safety and efficacy studies
- Hunting for Helminths: short- and long-read shotgun metagenomics for helminth detection in faecal samples
- Development, field-testing and optimization of tools to quantify soil-transmitted helminths in fecal sludge from school pit latrines in Ethiopia
BibTeX
@article{materu2026effect,
title = {{Effect of Gastrointestinal Helminths and Haematological Parameters on Flea Abundance in Small Mammals in Tanzania.}},
author = {Adrian E Materu and Eliakunda M Mafie and Jahashi S Nzalawahe and Ladslaus L Mnyone},
journal = {Journal of parasitology research},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1155/japr/3143283},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968786},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effect of Gastrointestinal Helminths and Haematological Parameters on Flea Abundance in Small Mammals in Tanzania.
AU - Adrian E Materu
AU - Eliakunda M Mafie
AU - Jahashi S Nzalawahe
AU - Ladslaus L Mnyone
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Journal of parasitology research
DO - 10.1155/japr/3143283
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968786
AB - Fleas are important vectors of numerous pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, helminths and protozoa, and their abundance on small mammals may be influenced by various biotic and abiotic factors. This study investigated the associations between gastrointestinal helminth infections, selected haematological parameters and flea abundance in small mammals from three selected districts of Tanzania. Two wards and two villages within each district were purposively selected for sampling in Mbulu, Lushoto and Morogoro District Council. Small mammals were captured from households, fallow lands, crop fields, plantation forests and bush habitats and identified to species or genus level using morphological keys. Fleas, blood samples and gastrointestinal tracts were collected to determine flea infestation, gastrointestinal helminth infections, packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin concentration (Hb). Associations between gastrointestinal helminths, haematological parameters and flea abundance were assessed using generalised linear mixed models. A total of 302 rodents and shrews were captured, with Mastomys natalensis (54.4%, n = 163), Rattus rattus (13.6%, n = 41) and Crocidura spp. (10.3%, n = 31) being the most abundant hosts. Overall gastrointestinal helminth prevalence was 71.2% (95% CI: 65.7-76.2), with Trichuris spp. (33.3%, n = 100), Hymenolepis diminuta (29.1%, n = 88), Angiostrongylus spp. (19.9%, n = 60) and Hymenolepis nana (15.2%, n = 46) being the most prevalent helminths. A total of 271 fleas were collected, predominantly Ctenophthalmus spp. (31.0%, n = 84), Pulex irritans (30.3%, n = 82), Dinopsyllus lypusus (28.8%, n = 78) and Nosopsyllus incisus (4.1%, n = 11). Overall gastrointestinal helminth prevalence was significantly associated with total flea abundance (p < 0.05), whereas PCV and Hb showed no significant associations (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that coinfections involving gastrointestinal helminths and fleas are common in small mammals and that helminth infections may influence flea abundance. Understanding these host-parasite interactions may improve our understanding of pathogen transmission dynamics and inform surveillance strategies for zoonotic diseases in Tanzania.
SN - 2090-0023
SN - 2090-0031
ER -