Table 2.
Vertebrate DNA identified in off-host Ctenocephalides felis collected inside huts in Vurra and Okoro counties
| Vertebrate (species) | No. detected (% of total with detectable vertebrate DNA) |
|---|---|
| Human (Homo sapiens) | 70* (47%) |
| Goat (Capra hircus) | 63 (43%) |
| Chicken (Gallus gallus) | 9 (6%) |
| Sheep (Ovis aries) | 4 (3%) |
| Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) | 1 (< 1%) |
| Pig (Sus scrofa) | 1 (< 1%) |
*
Our assay has a 6% false positive rate for human DNA.39 Using Equation 4 and the values listed in Table 3, we estimated that ∼35 of the samples with detectable human DNA represent human blood-fed fleas.