(Pulex irritans)
Biology:
The human flea is now a relatively rare flea species that can develop permanently on humans even without the presence of a main host. The main hosts in Europe are domestic dogs, foxes and badgers; secondary hosts include humans, domestic cats, domestic pigs and hedgehogs. The body length of the human flea is 2 to 4 mm. In contrast to dog and cat fleas, human fleas do not have spiny combs on their cheeks or head.
Further general information on the biology is described in the dog flea.
damage:
The damage is similar to that described for the dog flea. In addition to the plague flea Xenopsylla cheopsis, the human flea is considered the main carrier of the bubonic plague epidemics that occurred in earlier centuries. It is also a possible vector for infectious diseases such as mouse spotted fever or tularemia.
