Ectoparasitic community of the Mahali mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus mahali: potential host for vectors of medical importance in South Africa

Abstract

Background The endemic rodent family of Bathyergidae in Africa, particularly South Africa, are understudied as reservoirs of diseases of significant medical importance. Considering the diversity and wide distribution of African mole-rats in South Africa, many of these bathyergids could act as carriers of zoonoses. Methods The present study assessed the ectoparasite community of the Mahali mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus mahali). We aimed to identify possible parasitic arthropods that may infest this mole-rat species and explore host preference, contributions of seasonality, host sex and body mass as well as social class and colony size on ectoparasite assemblage prevalence and abundance. Results A limited number of ectoparasite species were found on C. h. mahali belonging to two significant taxa: mites (Acari) and fleas, with mites being the most prevalent and abundant. We recorded the presence of X. philoxera, a flea well known as the principal reservoir of plague in the southern African region on the Mahali mole-rats. Only three mite species were collected: Androlaelaps scapularis, Androlaelaps capensis and Laelaps liberiensis. Seasonal peaks in prevalence and abundance of X. philoxera and A. scapularis were observed during summer. Xenopsylla philoxera abundance and A. scapularis loads significantly increased on reproductive mole-rat individuals in comparison to non-reproductive individuals. Conclusion Despite the wide distribution of the subterranean African mole-rats, studies investigating their parasitic fauna remain limited and scarce. This dearth in knowledge raises the concern regarding their potential role as an endemic reservoir for zoonotic diseases. Consequently, additional sampling of their ectoparasitic community throughout their distributional range and research addressing their role as a reservoir for zoonotic diseases in southern Africa are urgently needed.

Perioral secretions enable complex social signaling in African mole-rats (genus Fukomys)

“…obs.). In the sister lineage to Fukomys , the Southern African mole-rat genus Cryptomys , yellow perioral stains have been reported 23 , but those are less conspicuous than in most Fukomys species (K. Finn, pers. com.).…”

Ambient Temperature as a Strong Zeitgeber of Circadian Rhythms in Response to Temperature Sensitivity and Poor Heat Dissipation Abilities in Subterranean African Mole-Rats

“…We attempt to prove that T a is a strong zeitgeber of circadian rhythms of LA in endothermic-homeothermic African mole-rats, given the lack of a reliable photic cue in the subterranean environment and the suggested sensitivity of LA to T a , as a consequence of avoiding overheating while being active. To accomplish this, we used two species of African mole-rats, namely, the solitary Cape mole-rat ( Georychus capensis [GC]) (Lovegrove and Papenfus, 1995; Oosthuizen et al, 2003) and social Mahali mole-rat (van Jaarsveld et al, 2019; Hart et al, 2020; Fagir et al, 2021). Both genera of Cryptomys (Boyles et al, 2012) and Georychus (Okrouhlík et al, 2021) have not been observed to exhibit heterothermy or poikilothermy, but are considered strict homeothermic endotherms.…”

The best of both worlds: no apparent trade-off between immunity and reproduction in two group-living African mole-rat species

“…The difference in patterns of the relationship between immunocompetence and reproduction in the two co-operatively breeding African mole-rat species may be due to the Damaraland mole-rats being captive-bred and the common mole-rats being wild-caught, even after longer than a month in captivity [64][65][66][67]. However, captive-bred and wild-caught Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) showed similar prevalence levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes, but differing levels in prevalence of monocytes, eosinophils and basophils [67].…”