Pesquisa da infecção natural por Yersinia pestis, em pulicídeos provenientes de focos pestosos do nordeste do Brasil

Three different containment transport processes of fleas were evaluated as an approach to the bacteriologic isolation of Yersinia pestis. The three methods employed were: live fleas in glass tubes containing pieces of wrapped filter paper; dead fleas in saline solution; and maceratedfleas in Cary-Blair culture medium. The two latter methods were almost equal and superior to the first method. A total of 29512 flea pools, from plague foci in Northeast Brazil collected during 1966 to 1982 were evaluated by the three methods. Among these samples, 236 (0.80%) flea pools were positive with regard to bacteriological cultivation and/or infection of susceptible animals.