Small mammals as hosts of immature ixodid ticks

Abstract

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">Two hundred and twenty-five small mammals belonging to 16 species were examined for ticks in Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces, South Africa, and 18 ixodid tick species, of which two could only be identified to genus level, were recovered. Scrub hares, <em>Lepus saxatilis</em>, and Cape hares, <em>Lepus capensis</em>, harboured the largest number of tick species. In Free State Province Namaqua rock mice, <em>Aethomys namaquensis</em>, and four-striped grass mice, <em>Rhabdomys pumilio</em>, were good hosts of the immature stages of <em>Haemaphysalis leachi</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus gertrudae</em>, while in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces red veld rats, <em>Aethomys chrysophilus</em>, Namaqua rock mice and Natal multimammate mice, <em>Mastomys natalensis</em> were good hosts of <em>H. leachi</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus simus</em>. <em>Haemaphysalis leachi</em> was the only tick recovered from animals in all three provinces.</span&gt

Ectoparasite diversity in the eastern rock sengis (Elephantulus myurus): the effect of seasonality and host sex

“…This is in agreement with the findings of previous studies which indicated that eastern rock sengis were hosts for a large variety of parasite species, particularly ticks (Fourie et al 1992(Fourie et al , 1995(Fourie et al , 2005Beaucournu et al 2003;Harrison et al 2011). Species richness was greatest in summer possibly because the rainfall and elevated temperatures favoured a number of the ectoparasite species encountered.…”

“…The 11 tick species recovered in the present study represent the largest number of species recovered from eastern rock sengis at a single locality. Sengis are amongst the preferred hosts of the immature stages of R. arnoldi and R. warburtoni, and virtually the sole hosts for the immature stages of R. nuttalli (Walker et al 2000;Fourie et al 2002Fourie et al , 2005. The prevalence of these ticks in the present study supports this fact.…”

“…Parasite burdens may, however, also be increased during summer because the host diverts resources for parasite defences into reproductive activities (Altizer et al 2006). Seasonal variation in ectoparasite burdens has been recorded by a number of studies carried out in different regions of Africa including South Africa and irrespective of whether those were carried out in summer or winter rainfall regions rainfall patterns appeared to play a major role in affecting these patterns (Fourie et al 1992(Fourie et al , 2005Matthee et al 2007;Lutermann et al 2012aLutermann et al , 2012b. However, most of these studies have focused on ticks.…”

“…Sengis or elephant shrews (order Macroscelidae) are insectivores comprising 17 species with a wide distribution across the African continent (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). No less than 27 tick species from six genera have been reported from sengis including several of veterinary and economic importance (Fourie et al 1992(Fourie et al , 1995(Fourie et al , 2002(Fourie et al , 2005Harrison et al 2011). In addition, the tick burden of sengis may be 100 times greater than those of sympatric rodents (Fourie et al 1992;Harrison et al 2011).…”

Diversity of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting cheetahs (Acinoyx jubatus) at three breeding centres in South Africa and activity patterns of questing ticks

“…Various wild and domestic carnivores are the preferred hosts of the adults of H. elliptica, including domestic dogs and cats as well as lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus) and cheetahs (Apanaskevich et al, 2007;Horak et al, 1987;Horak et al, 2000;Horak and Matthee, 2003;Horak et al, 2010). Several murid rodent species are the preferred hosts of its immature stages (Hoogstraal, 1956;Horak et al, 2005;Petney et al, 2004). Although Jacobs et al (2004) demonstrated that this tick can complete more than one life cycle annually under laboratory conditions, they doubted whether this would occur in nature.…”