ArticleJournal of medical entomology2026
Physiology of the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) gut: serine protease activity, midgut pH, and intestinal barrier integrity.
Article in Journal of medical entomology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Male and Female Cat Fleas (Insects · 2026Article
- Chemical modulation of IMD signaling in the cat flea (Current research in insect science · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Fleas carry many bacterial pathogens, such as Bartonella henselae, Rickettsia typhi, and Yersinia pestis, which must adapt to the unique physiology of the flea digestive system to survive. Despite the importance of the gut environment in supporting pathogen persistence, key aspects of flea digestion and the intestinal barrier remain poorly understood. This study investigated the digestive system of the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), focusing on midgut pH, serine protease activity, and how aging affects intestinal integrity. Our results showed that trypsin activity is stable during early digestion but peaks around 24 h after a blood meal, during which the midgut temporarily becomes more alkaline before returning to acidic conditions. Bacterial infection disrupted the normal gut environment, leading to prolonged acidification and delayed but heightened trypsin activity. This suggests that fleas actively modify their gut conditions in response to pathogens. To assess structural integrity, we measured collagen IV denaturation in the basal lamina and used a non-absorbable food dye to evaluate barrier permeability. Denatured collagen was highest at 7 d post-emergence, but no dye leaked into the hemocoel, indicating that the midgut barrier remained functionally intact. Overall, these findings highlight a complex interaction between digestion, immune response, and aging in the flea gut, providing insights into how the midgut environment influences pathogen survival and transmission.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.