Factsheets about disease vectors

Human flea - Pulex irritans

Fleas (Siphonaptera)

Fleas can transmit plague (caused by Yersinia pestis), murine typhus (caused by Rickettsia typhi), flea-borne spotted fever (Rickettsia felis), and cat scratch disease (Bartonella henselae).

Developmental cycle of the human head louse

Lice (Phthiraptera)

Lice (Phthiraptera) are a very diverse group of insects, exclusively adapted to parasitism. Several thousand species have been described to date.

Phlebotomus papatasi sandfly. Credit: CDC/ Frank Collins

Phlebotomine sand flies

A number of sand fly species are present in Europe and in recent years, their range has increased. They are vectors of human and canine leishmaniasis, and sand fly fevers caused by phleboviruses.

Infographic

Infographics

Different tick/mosquito species can transmit different diseases. Most common mosquitoes, ticks and infectious diseases in Europe, where are they present in Europe. Why vector-borne diseases spread during the summer?