Multiple ectoparasites infest &lt;i&gt;Microcebus griseorufus&lt;/i&gt; at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar

Rodriguez, Idalia A.; Rasoazanabary, Emilienne; Godfrey, Laurie R.

doi:10.4314/mcd.v7i1.8

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…As sifakas in Kirindy give birth during the dry season, when almost no mosquitoes are present, juveniles likely acquire Babesia sp. infections via tick-bites, probably of haemaphysaline ticks, which occur in western Madagascar ( Rodriguez et al., 2012 ) and have been detected on sifakas during animal captures, before they become exposed to Plasmodium sp. Until babesiosis resolves, e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hemoparasites in a wild primate: Infection patterns suggest interaction of Plasmodium and Babesia in a lemur species

Springer

Fichtel

Calvignac‐Spencer

et al. 2015

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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Hemoparasites can cause serious morbidity in humans and animals and often involve wildlife reservoirs. Understanding patterns of hemoparasite infections in natural populations can therefore inform about emerging disease risks, especially in the light of climate change and human disruption of natural ecosystems. We investigated the effects of host age, sex, host group size and season on infection patterns of Plasmodium sp., Babesia sp. and filarial nematodes in a population of wild Malagasy primates, Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), as well as the effects of these infections on hematological variables. We tested 45 blood samples from 36 individuals and identified two species of Plasmodium, one species of Babesia and two species of filarial nematodes. Plasmodium spp. and Babesia sp. infections showed opposite patterns of age-dependency, with babesiosis being prevalent among young animals, while older animals were infected with Plasmodium sp. In addition, Babesia sp. infection was a statistically significant negative predictor of Plasmodium sp. infection. These results suggest that Plasmodium and Babesia parasites may interact within the host, either through cross-immunity or via resource competition, so that Plasmodium infections can only establish after babesiosis has resolved. We found no effects of host sex, host group size and season on hemoparasite infections. Infections showed high prevalences and did not influence hematological variables. This preliminary evidence supports the impression that the hosts and parasites considered in this study appear to be well-adapted to each other, resulting in persistent infections with low pathogenic and probably low zoonotic potential. Our results illustrate the crucial role of biodiversity in host-parasite relationships, specifically how within-host pathogen diversity may regulate the abundance of parasites.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The potential vectors for Plasmodium spp. and Babesia spp., anopheline mosquitos and haemaphysaline ticks, are present in the study region ( Davidson, 1966 , Rodriguez et al., 2012 ), whereas the vectors for filarial parasites of lemurs are unknown ( Irwin and Raharison, 2009 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hemoparasites in a wild primate: Infection patterns suggest interaction of Plasmodium and Babesia in a lemur species

Springer

Fichtel

Calvignac‐Spencer

et al. 2015

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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“…The former parasitizes a variety of lemur species, including: Verreaux's sifakas, Propithecus verreauxi (Junge and Louis, 2005a); Milne-Edwards's sifakas, Propithecus edwardsi (Wright et al, 2009); ring-tailed lemurs, Lemur catta (Takahata et al, 1998;Loudon et al, 2006;Koyama et al, 2008); ruffed lemurs, Varecia variegata (Junge and Louis, 2002;Junge and Louis, 2005b); indris, Indri indri (Junge et al, 2011); sportive lemurs, Lepilemur ruficaudatus and Lepilemur sp. (Uilenberg et al, 1979); and mouse lemurs, Microcebus rufus (Durden et al, 2010) and Microcebus griseorufus (Rodriguez et al, 2012). Haemaphysalis simplex has also been documented as parasitizing Propithecus verreauxi, although this was probably an accidental association (Uilenberg et al, 1979).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Haemaphysalis simplex has also been documented as parasitizing Propithecus verreauxi, although this was probably an accidental association (Uilenberg et al, 1979). More recently, H. simplex was reported as a likely candidate for parasitizing reddish-gray mouse lemurs in southwestern Madagascar (Rodriguez et al, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…After reexamining that specimen, and comparing it to specimens documented in this paper, we can now confirm that it is a nymph of I. lemuris. Haemaphysalis lemuris and undetermined Haemaphysalis sp., most likely H. simplex, were also collected from reddish-gray mouse lemurs (M. griseorufus) at Beza Mahafaly, southwestern Madagascar (Rodriguez et al, 2012). Only immature stages of ticks (with the exception of 3 male ticks found on a single mouse lemur from Beza Mahafaly) have been collected from mouse lemurs (Durden et al, 2010;Rodriguez et al, 2012).…”

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Genetic Diversity of Ixodid Ticks Parasitizing Eastern Mouse and Dwarf Lemurs in Madagascar, with Descriptions of the Larva, Nymph, and Male ofIxodes lemuris(Acari: Ixodidae)

Blanco

Elfawal²,

Durden³

et al. 2013

Journal of Parasitology

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The ixodid ticks parasitizing small-bodied nocturnal mouse and dwarf lemurs (Primates, Cheirogaleidae) in Madagascar are poorly documented. At Tsinjoarivo, a high-altitude eastern rain forest, mouse and dwarf lemurs were parasitized by ixodid ticks. At Ranomafana, a montane southeastern rain forest, dwarf lemurs hosted a species of Ixodes, whereas mouse lemurs were parasitized by Haemaphysalis lemuris. Ixodes specimens represent all active stages, and females are morphologically consistent with previous descriptions of Ixodes lemuris females, the only described stage in the literature. Morphological comparisons and genetic analysis using fragments of COI gene confirm that all Ixodes ticks from Tsinjoarivo and Ranomafana forests belong to the same species, i.e., Ixodes lemuris. Thus, we are able to provide descriptions of the previously unknown larva, nymph, and male. Mouse lemurs at both locations were parasitized only by immature stages of I. lemuris (at Tsinjoarivo) or H. lemuris (at Ranomafana), whereas dwarf lemurs were parasitized by all stages of I. lemuris. We suggest that ecological and biogeographical conditions may affect the pattern of tick infestation at Tsinjoarivo and Ranomafana. Additional studies are necessary to understand the tick-host associations of small-bodied nocturnal lemurs.

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Seasonal variation in the abundance and distribution of ticks that parasitize Microcebus griseorufus at the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar

Rodriguez¹,

Rasoazanabary²,

Godfrey

2015

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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At Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve (BMSR), Madagascar, mouse lemurs (Microcebus griseorufus) are parasitized by multiple species of haemaphysaline ticks. At present we know little about the role ticks play in wild lemur populations and how they can alter interspecies relationships within communities or impact host fitness. In order to better understand these dynamics at BMSR, we examined parasite-host interactions as well as the ecology of mouse lemurs and their infesting ticks, Haemaphysalis lemuris and H. sp. cf. simplex. We show that season, host sex, and habitat influence the relative abundance of ticks on mouse lemurs. Specifically, infestations occur only during the dry season (May–October), are higher in males, and are higher at the study site with the most ground cover and with greater density of large-bodied hosts. Microcebus likely experience decreased susceptibility to tick infestations during the wet season because at that time they rarely if ever descend to the ground. Similarly, male mouse lemurs have higher infestation rates than females because of the greater time they spend traveling and foraging on the ground. During the dry season, Microcebus likely serve as hosts for the tenrec tick, H. sp. cf. simplex, when tenrecs hibernate. In turn, during the wet season when mouse lemurs rarely descend to the ground, other small mammals at the reserve may serve as maintenance hosts for populations of immature ticks. The synchronous development of larvae and nymphs could present high risk for vector-borne disease in Microcebus. This study also provides a preliminary description of the ecology and life cycle of the most common lemur tick, H. lemuris.

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Multiple ectoparasites infest <i>Microcebus griseorufus</i> at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar

Abstract: The mouse lemur Microcebus griseorufus at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve and general vicinity in southwesternMadagascar were surveyed for ectoparasites as part of a yearlong behavioral and ecological study. Of 249 individual mouse à l'amélioration de la protection de la réserve.

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

Hemoparasites in a wild primate: Infection patterns suggest interaction of Plasmodium and Babesia in a lemur species

Hemoparasites in a wild primate: Infection patterns suggest interaction of Plasmodium and Babesia in a lemur species

Genetic Diversity of Ixodid Ticks Parasitizing Eastern Mouse and Dwarf Lemurs in Madagascar, with Descriptions of the Larva, Nymph, and Male ofIxodes lemuris(Acari: Ixodidae)

Seasonal variation in the abundance and distribution of ticks that parasitize Microcebus griseorufus at the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar

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