David,
The specific bubonic plague case I mentioned was traced to squirrels and fleas were determined to be the transmitting agent to the human patient. The patient's house bordered a wildlife area.
From The Merck Manual, 16th edition (available online, BTW): Plague is transmitted from rodent to man by the bite of an infected flea vector . . . Recently, in endemic areas in the USA, a number of cases have been associated with household pets, particularly cats." However, I can't see any reason why ticks could not also be responsible for bubonic and other plague diseases.
As for cutting up a flea collar and putting it into my vacuum cleaner bag, I guess it was just something I'd always done prior to the newer, more effective flea eradication chemicals, and I just kept on doing it to get rid of the pesky critters who survived in the carpet. I live nearly on the water, and fleas are an enormous problem. Every year, the groomers and vets would say it was the worst year ever for fleas in our little town. Every year, they would say that. <vbg>
For point of reference, my pets were two shaggy 40- to 45-pound house dogs. One seemed to naturally repel fleas, while the other seemed to attract them bigtime.
Thanks for the info on Hawaii's current animal quarantine status. I'd heard that there had never been a case of rabies there, but was a little ginger about saying that. I heard the legend of the rats and the mongooses from the same person.
Holly |
