Effect of Sex, Size, and Age of Commensal Rat Hosts on the Infestation Parameters of Their Ectoparasites in a Rural Area of Egypt

Soliman, S. A.; Marzouk, Aleya S.; Main, Andrew J.; Montasser, Ashraf A.

doi:10.1645/0022-3395(2001)087[1308:eossaa]2.0.co;2

Cited by 64 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The finding of P. spinulosa with the highest prevalence among ectoparasites is in the correlation with findings of Soliman et al (2001) who found P. spinulosa as a dominant louse species on brown rats. There was no significant association between lice infection and sex, age and geographical position (village).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The low prevalence of C. fasciatus in juveniles is probably biased due to low number of juveniles captured in village B. Our finding that mite infections were not related with sex can not be explained at the moment, and is not correlated with findings of Soliman et al (2001) who claimed that infection with most ectoparasites were significantly higher on male rats, while Webster and Macdonald (1995) found significantly more female rats infected with mites and male rats infected with lice. From what we know, the relation of parasite infections and sex in rats has not been investigated, yet.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

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Parasitological survey of rats in rural regions of Croatia

Stojčević¹,

Mihaljević²,

Tran³

2004

Vet. Med.

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70Synanthropic rodents, particularly those living in close association with man, play a significant role in human health, welfare and economy. It has to be stressed that their arthropod ectoparasites are important vectors of pathogenic microorganisms and they can also be important reservoirs for parasitic zoonoses like trichinellosis and capillariosis. No doubt, the increase in rodent populations can be followed by the increase in zoonotic diseases. Hepatic capillariosis is a zoonosis seldom described in people. Human infection occurs by the consumption of the food or water contaminated with embryonated eggs, previously released from rat liver through cannibalism, predation or decomposition of carcasses. Different authors have reported a wide range of parasites but most investigations were carried out in tropical areas. Nama and Parihar (1976) reported 8 helminth species, found in 149 trapped rats in India. Yen et al. (1996) found in China the overall infection rate of 29.6% in 199 rats. Namue and Wongsawad (1997) found 33 out of 38 trapped rats to be infected (86.8%) in Thailand. In Egypt, Abd el- Wahed et al. (1999) reported overall infection rate of 54% in 172 rats. Studies of parasites in brown rats in Europe have been limited to just few reports. The most detailed investigations were carried out in order to determine the prevalence of Capillaria hepatica. Ceruti et al. (2001) screened 47 brown rat livers for the presence of C. hepatica infection and found 36% to be infected. In France Davoust et al. (1997) trapped 82 rats and found 44% to be infected with C. hepatica and 21% with fleas. The most striking were the results of Farhang-Azad (1977) who examined 845 brown rats and found 75% to be infected with C. hepatica. The aim of our study was to define the prevalence of parasite infections in brown rats in Croatia since similar investigations were not carried out in our country. Also, we wanted, to compare the prevalence data of parasites in two different rural regions and investigate the influence of habitat on parasitic infections. In addition, we wanted to establish relation of parasite infections with sex and age of rats. ABSTRACT: A parasitological survey of 255 rats, trapped in rural regions of Croatia, was carried out. The survey revealed infection with 7 helminth species (2 cestodes, 5 nematodes and eggs of 2 accidental parasites). Also, 8 ectoparasite species (2 fleas, 3 lice, and 3 mites) were found. Overall infection rate was 72.6% (185 infected out of 255 rats). Eighty two of 255 rats (32.2%) were infected with ectoparasites and 166 out of 255 (65.1%) with endoparasites. Among endoparasites the most frequent parasite was Hymenolepis diminuta (36.9%) and among ectoparasites Polyplax spinulosa (14.5%). Analysing association of parasite infection with sex, age and location (household and village) we found out that none of the found parasites was sex related. On the other hand, several parasite infections increased with age and depended on habitat. As accidental finding, study showed that rats with m...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

Parasitological survey of rats in rural regions of Croatia

Stojčević¹,

Mihaljević²,

Tran³

2004

Vet. Med.

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“…That this is the first record of R. ensifera for a bathyergid species may be attributable to the small number of individuals sampled for this host family and to the sampling in an agricultural habitat, because such transformed habitats are often inhabited by high densities of murid rodents that commonly host this mite. This species, like other members of the family, appears to be a generalist ectoparasite with a global distribution (Fain et al, 1980;Baker, 1999;Soliman et al, 2001). However, although it is prevalent in the host population, its abundance was low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectoparasite Burdens of the Common Mole-Rat (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) From the Cape Provinces of South Africa

Archer¹,

Bennett²,

Ueckermann³

et al. 2014

Journal of Parasitology

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The members of the African mole-rat family Bathyergidae are widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their well-studied biology and reproductive physiology, the current knowledge of their ectoparasite fauna is limited and ambiguous due to recent revisions of the bathyergid taxonomy. The common mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) is 1 of the most widely distributed species of these subterranean rodents. Ectoparasites were collected from 268 common mole-rats at 2 localities (Western and Northern Cape provinces) in South Africa over the course of 18 mo with the aim to document species richness, prevalence, and abundance of these ectoparasites. The aggregation of parasite species, sex bias within a species, and seasonal variation in ectoparasite burdens were investigated. A total of 4,830 individual parasites from 4 mite species (Androlaelaps scapularis, Androlaelaps capensis, Radfordia ensifera, and 1 undetermined chigger [family Trombiculidae]), 1 flea species (Cryptopsylla ingrami), and 1 louse species (Eulinognathus hilli) were collected. With the exception of R. ensifera and the chigger, all of these ectoparasites appear to be host specific either for the host species or the Bathyergidae. Aggregation indices indicated that with the exception of E. hilli, the distribution of all parasite species was highly aggregated among hosts and sex biased. Seasonal variation in prevalence, abundance, and species richness was apparent, with greater burdens in the rainy winter season. This is likely related to seasonal variation in abiotic factors but may also be affected by the timing of host reproduction and dispersal behavior.

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“…those that have not developed immunity yet) during the breeding season may further contribute to the establishment of seasonal patterns of parasitism and can also introduce age-dependent heterogeneities (Cattadori et al 2005;Cornell et al 2008). However, parasite loads can also be larger in older hosts when parasites accumulate over time or when survival is reduced in younger individuals with high parasite loads compared to older individuals with similar burdens (Soliman et al 2001;Hawlena et al 2006). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of life-history traits on parasitism in a monogamous mammal, the eastern rock sengi (Elephantulus myurus)

Lutermann

Medger

Horak

2011

Naturwissenschaften

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The distribution of parasites is often characterized by substantial aggregation with a small proportion of hosts harbouring the majority of parasites. This pattern can be generated by abiotic and biotic factors that affect hosts and determine host exposure and susceptibility to parasites. Climate factors can change a host's investment in life-history traits (e.g. growth, reproduction) generating temporal patterns of parasite aggregation. Similarly, host age may affect such investment. Furthermore, sex-biased parasitism is common among vertebrates and has been linked to sexual dimorphism in morphology, behaviour and physiology. Studies exploring sex-biased parasitism have been almost exclusively conducted on polygynous species where dimorphic traits are often correlated. We investigated the effects of season and life-history traits on tick loads of the monogamous eastern rock sengi (Elephantulus myurus).We found larger tick burdens during the non-breeding season possibly as a result of energetic constraints and/or climate effects on the tick. Reproductive investment resulted in increased larval abundance for females but not males and may be linked to sex-specific life-history strategies. The costs of reproduction could also explain the observed age effect with yearling individuals harbouring lower larval burdens than adults. Although adult males had the greatest larval tick loads, host sex appears to play a minor role in generating the observed parasite heterogeneities. Our study suggests that reproductive investment plays a major role for parasite patterns in the study species.

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Effect of Sex, Size, and Age of Commensal Rat Hosts on the Infestation Parameters of Their Ectoparasites in a Rural Area of Egypt

Cited by 64 publications

References 9 publications

Parasitological survey of rats in rural regions of Croatia

Parasitological survey of rats in rural regions of Croatia

Ectoparasite Burdens of the Common Mole-Rat (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) From the Cape Provinces of South Africa

Effects of life-history traits on parasitism in a monogamous mammal, the eastern rock sengi (Elephantulus myurus)

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