| Xenopsylla | The rat flea; a genus of fleas parasitic on the rat and involved in the transmission of bubonic plague. The species Xenopsylla cheopis serves as a potent vector of Yersinia pestis, largely because its gut becomes "blocked" by a mass of Y. Pestis cells which prevents the flea from feeding normally, so that it is inclined to attack man and other hosts; it is an important source of infection in traditional epidemic areas such as India. Xenopsylla astia and Xenopsylla braziliensis are also efficient vectors of plague. Origin: xeno-+ G. Psylla, flea (05 Mar 2000) |
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