Interrelationship between Ectoparasites and Wild Rodents from Tijucas do Sul, State of Paraná, Brazil

Small todents fleas from the bubonic plague focus located in the Serra dos Órgãos Mountain Range, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…The mean number (intensity) of fleas per host (924/601=1.54) (Table III) was higher than the ones previously reported in other habitats in Brazil: 0.15 from Caatinga scrub forest in Brazilian northeast (Guimarães 1972) and 0.29 to 0.64 from Araucaria forest in State of Paraná (Barros et al 1993, Barros-Battesti et al 1998). In the Atlantic forest, this number was around 0.30 from Guaraqueçaba in State of Paraná (Bicho et al 1999), 0.93 from Caratinga (Botelho & Linardi 1980); 1.06 from Juiz de Fora, both in the State of Minas Gerais (Linardi et al 1987); 2.85 from Salesópolis, State of São Paulo (Linardi 1977) and 3.6 from Angra dos Reis, State of Rio de Janeiro (Guitton et al 1986), in spite of methodological differences and capture efforts.…”

Host-ectoparasite specificity in a small mammal community in an area of Atlantic Rain Forest (Ilha Grande, State of Rio de Janeiro), Southeastern Brazil

“…The laelapine A. fahrenholzi had the most generalist association in the present study, occurring in all rodent host species captured. Barros-Battesti et al (1998) reported a similar association, with six of eight species of mammalian hosts studied parasitized with A. fahrenholzi. Similar associations have been observed in another studies (e.g.…”

“…But in a few cases, ecological coefficients have been used to explain the associations and preferential hosts (Botelho et al 1981, Barros-Battesti et al 1998 or numeric analyses to cluster hosts (Lareschi 1996) and these studies have begun to clarify the level of the host-ectoparasite association (i.e. specificity/ generalization).…”

“…In Brazil, several studies describe different host species being shared by a particular flea species (e.g. Linardi et al 1984, 1991a, c, Guitton et al 1986, Botelho & Linardi 1996) and others provide calculations of the "true host" (Botelho et al 1981, Barros-Battesti et al 1998. Because fleas are important vectors of plague, exchange of fleas between wild and domestic rodent hosts can be important in the maintenance of epizootics and zoonoses .…”

“…Even so, the available studies indicate the existence of a diverse fauna of ectoparasites, and emphasize their narrow adaptation to Brazilian hosts (e.g. Linardi et al 1984, 1987, 1991b, c, Guitton et al 1986, Gettinger 1987, Gettinger & Ernest 1995, Barros-Battesti et al 1998.…”