Ectoparasite load in the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 in Central Italy

Abstract

The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is a large body-sized rodent, occurring in Europe only in the Italian Peninsula, where it may have been introduced in early Medieval times. Its parasite fauna is currently poorly known and limited to few anecdotal observations. We have analyzed the ectoparasite load of 165 crested porcupines from Tuscany and Latium (Central Italy). Both captured and road-killed individuals were checked for fleas and ticks. Overall, only 39 porcupines were infested by four species of ticks and five of fleas. Abundance of ectoparasites was higher in areas with higher habitat richness, with respect to densely wooded areas. The most frequent species was the flea Pulex irritans (25%), whose prevalence peaked in winter probably because of optimal abiotic conditions in the porcupine's den. The remaining species of both hard ticks (Rhipicephalus bursa, Pholeoixodes hexagonus, and Ixodes ventalloi) and fleas (Paraceras melis, Ctenocephalides canis, Dasypsyllus gallinulae, and Hystrichopsylla talpae), all with prevalence lower than 5%, could be due to den sharing with other vertebrates, mainly carnivores such as, e.g., red foxes and badgers. The second most prevalent species was the generalist tick Ixodes ricinus (21%). An adult male-biased parasitism for ticks has been detected, suggesting a possible role of testosterone related immune-depressive effect. The low richness in dominant ectoparasite species, built up by locally acquired generalist taxa, provides support to the allochthonous origin of this rodent in Italy.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Trichuris sp. (Nematoda: Trichuridae) in Crested Porcupines (Hystrix cristata; Rodentia: Hystricidae) from Italy

“…Despite this, the available information on the parasites of crested porcupines, both ectoparasites [30][31][32][33][34] and endoparasites [35][36][37][38], is scant. Among nematodes, both the genetic characteristics of Trichuris and the evolutionary relationships between Trichuris and members of the suborder hystricomorpha-crested porcupines in particular-have so far been poorly investigated and understood.…”

Isolation of Leptospira serovar Pomona from a crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata, L., 1758)

“…Only recently, crested porcupine was investigated as potential vector or host for a wide range of parasites and micro‐organisms, such as fleas and hard ticks (Mori et al., 2015; Scaravelli, Senini, & Bonacci, 2017), Giardia duodenalis (Coppola, Maestrini, et al, 2020) and pathogenic Leptospira (Coppola, Cilia, et al, 2020). For the first time, L. interrogans serogroup Pomona serovar Pomona was isolated from one out of two analysed porcupine kidneys.…”

Flea surveillance on wild mammals in northern region of Xinjiang, northwestern China

“…In previous work, The human flea ( P. irritans )was sampled from South American gray fox ( Lycalopex griseus ), Andean fox ( Lycalopex culpaeus ), red fox, coyote ( Canis latrans ), kit foxes ( Vulpes macrotis ), swift foxes ( Vulpes velox ), burrowing owls, the crested porcupine ( Hystrix cristata ), Beech marten ( Martes foina ), the ground squirrel ( Citellus citellus ), Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ), domestic dog, cat, pig, chicken and dairy goats (Millán et al, 2007, Millán et al, 2018; Víchová et al, 2018; López-Pérez et al, 2018; Sanchez et al, 2018; Zouari et al, 2017; Noden et al, 2017; Rezaei et al, 2016; Graham et al, 2016; Belthoff et al, 2015; Mori et al, 2015; Domínguez-Peñafiel et al, 2011; Uslu et al, 2008; Pence et al, 2004; Ménier, 2003). In this study, P. irritans was also collected from marbled polecat ( V .…”