Flea. Definition

Medical Definition: flea

Habits wingless bloodsucking insect, belonging to the order Siphonaptera (or suctoria Aphaniptera). Ectoparasite of man and certain small animals, adapted to move between the fur of their hosts (lateral flattening) and the third pair of legs well developed, adapted for jumping. The most important from the standpoint of health, including the man or domestic flea, Pulex irritans, the dog and cat fleas, Ctenocephalides canis and C. felis, and the rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. This species is primarily responsible for the transmission of the bacteria Yersinia pestis (formerly Pasteurella pestis), agent of bubonic plague caused the pandemics of this important zoonosis.

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