Relative and Seasonal Abundance of the Common Rat Ectoparasites of San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Abstract
387 rats caught during one year in the restaurants and 938 caught in houses in a residential section of the city (Santurce) during 3 years, were examined for ectoparasites. The most abundant ectoparasite from San Juan proper was Xenopsylla cheopis, thereafter came in order of abundance Ornithodoros puertoricensis, Bdellonyssus bacoti, Laelaps nuttalli, Polyplax spinulosa, and Echidnophaga gallinacea. None of these spp. showed a seasonal abundance correlated with cases of typhus, which in Puerto Rico are most prevalent in summer. In the Santurce survey, during each of the 3 years, L. nuttalli was most abundant, but it was most abundant in a year when the cases were fewest. Also to be eliminated as vectors are E. gallinacea, P. spinulosa and B. bacoti, because they in general were not sufficiently numerous to account for the number of typhus cases. X. cheopis and O. puertorricensis, particularly the former, are likely vectors because their abundance corresponded with the seasonal incidence of the disease.

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