Biodivesity and importance of hippoboscids infection in cervids

Abstract

The present paper focuses on three species belonging to the family Hippoboscidae: Hippobosca equina, Lipoptena cervi and L. fortisetosa – haematophagus ectoparasites typical of cervids. In Europe, the forest flies (H. equina) are observed mainly in horses and cattle, but the primary host of this parasite is the red deer (Cervus elaphus). The host group of deer keds Lipoptena sp. include different ruminant species belonging to Cervidae (moose, red deer, sika deer, fallow deer, roe deer and maral) and Bovidae family (mouflon, european bison, cattle, sheep and goat). Furthermore, some species of carnivores (European badger, dog and red fox) can be accidental hosts. The presence of adult hippoboscid flies in the environment shows strong seasonality. One or two generations of H. equina occurs from May to October. The alate forms of univoltine Lipoptena cervi and probably multivoltine L. fortisetosa appear from August to September, and from June to September, respectively. During warm autumns, both species can be observed in late October, or even November. Hippobosca equina and Lipoptena cervi are native species, unlike the foreign L. fortisetosa. This Asian species was noted in Europe for the first time in the 1960s, and has rapidly spread in numerous countries. The most probable way of L. fortisetosa introduction to Europe was translocation via host (probably sika deer), or natural dispersion throughout Eurasia. Therefore L. fortisetosa should be treated as an alien invasive species in Poland and Europe. Interest in these three neglected dipteran species has increased after reports of their veterinary and medical importance. All these parasite species are able to attack humans. Bites of these insects are considered painful, cause skin lesions with the presence of characteristic persistent pruritic papules, and, in extreme cases, may result in an anaphylactic reaction. Hippoboscids can play a role in the transmission of bacterial pathogens, including Anaplasma and Bartonella genera, dangerous for humans and animals. Permanent and intensive attacks on humans, during the seasonal mass occurrence of these parasites, can hinder forestry work, as well as harvesting, recreation, and hunting activities in forested areas.

The northernmost record of a blood-sucking ectoparasite, Lipoptena fortisetosa Maa (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), in Estonia

“…In Estonia, this species has often been observed to attack humans, which corroborates recent data from Slovakia (Oboňa et al 2019). L. fortisetosa is thought to be a multivoltine species in Europe, with adults appearing from June to October, while the adults of sympatric but univoltine L. cervi are present from August to October (Kowal et al 2016). Like other deer keds, adults of L. fortisetosa lose their wings after finding an acceptable host and start sucking its blood.…”

Molecular Detection of Selected Pathogens with Zoonotic Potential in Deer Keds (Lipoptena fortisetosa)

“…Lipoptena fortisetosa is a blood-feeding ectoparasite that specifically targets cervids, including the sika deer ( Cervus nippon ), Siberian roe deer ( Capreolus pygargus ), and roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ). This parasite also uses the red deer ( Cervus elaphus ), fallow deer ( Dama dama ), and moose ( Alces alces ) [ 5 ]. Lipoptena fortisetosa originates from eastern Siberia and the Far East [ 6 ].…”

“…The species was first described by Maa in Japan [ 6 ]. In Poland, L. fortisetosa was first identified in the region of Lower Silesia in the late 1980s, and its presence was confirmed in the Tatra Mountains and in northern Poland in 2007–2012 [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. This ectoparasite was also isolated in the region of Wielkopolska in 2017 [ 13 ].…”

Molecular Characterization of Some Equine Vector-Borne Pathogens and Identification of Their Vectors in Egypt

“…However, we were unable to amplify and sequence these samples, which could be attributed to the high sensitivity of qPCR compared to standard PCR, or to the low concentration of pathogenic DNA in fly tissues. Kowal and his colleagues [86] reported the role of Hippoboscids in the transmission of bacterial pathogens such as Anaplasma and Bartonella. Moreover, Boucheikhchoukh and his colleagues [87] detected Bartonella and Wolbachia sp.…”