(flē)
[Pronunciation]
[AS. flea]

Any insect of the order Siphonaptera.
Fleas are wingless, suck blood, and have legs adapted for jumping. Usually they are parasitic on warm-blooded animals including humans. Fleas of the genus Xenopsylla transmit the plague bacillus (Yersinia pestis) from rats to humans. Fleas may transmit other diseases such as tularemia, endemic typhus, and brucellosis. They are intermediate hosts for cat and dog tapeworms.

Figure: FLEA
Xenopsylla (orig. mag. ×15)

Subentries:
flea bite
cat flea
chigger flea
dog flea
human flea
rat flea