ENTOMOLOGICAL AND RODENT SURVEILLANCE OF SUSPECTED PLAGUE FOCI IN AGRO-ENVIRONMENTAL AND FERAL BIOTOPES OF A FEW DISTRICTS IN MAHARASHTRA AND GUJARAT STATES OF INDIA

Studies carried out on entomological and rodent surveillance in agrocl imatic and feral biotopes of five districts of Maharashtra and two dis tricts of Gujarat revealed that the terrain features of the seven dist ricts surveyed were conducive to wild rodent species, Tatera indica, a natural reservoir of plague and vector flea species, Xenopsylla cheop is. A total of 214 Tatera indica and three Bandicoota bengalensis were collected from burrows by the digging method and 89 rat fleas were re trieved. The flea index calculated ranged from 0.26 to 1.0 in differen t districts. The examination of blood serum samples, contact tissue im pression smears and tissue organs (heart, lung, liver and spleen) of t hese wild rodents did not reveal any evidence of plague activity. The natural harbourages of Tatera indica were found to be elevated land or raised margins of agricultural fields or barren land with thorny bush es/xerophytic plants and parthenium grass. Agricultural fields having wet soil were found to be the preferred harbourages of Bandicoota beng alensis. Movement of wild rodents toward human settlement was observed to be the common phenomenon during the harvesting season which may le ad to the creation of favorable conditions for plague outbreaks.