Helminth Community Structure of Two Sigmodontine Rodents in Serra Dos Órgãos National Park, State of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

The fauna and community structure of the helminths of two sympatric sigmodontine rodent hosts, Akodon montensis (Thomas, 1913) and Oligoryzomys nigripes (Olfers, 1818) (Rodentia, Cricetidae) were studied in two areas of an Atlantic Forest reserve, the Serra dos Órgãos National Park in Petrópolis and Teresópolis municipalities, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During the study, 127 rodents were collected, among which 63 were parasitized (approximately 50%). The helminths recovered from A. montensis were the nematodes Protospirura numidica criceticola, Stilestrongylus aculeata, Stilestrongylus eta, Stilestrongylus lanfrediae and Trichofreitasia lenti; the trematode Canaania obesa and the cestode Rodentolepis akodontis. Oligoryzomys nigripes was infected by Avellaria sp., Guerrerostrongylus zetta, T. lenti and S. lanfrediae. Complete host specificity was observed in all helminth species only in Petrópolis; although T. lenti and S. lanfrediae were shared between host species in Teresópolis. Stilestrongylus aculeata, S. eta and S. lanfrediae had the greatest abundance, i.e. considering all hosts, and intensity, i.e. considering only infected hosts, in the study. Stilestrongylus lanfrediae and G. zetta were the most prevalent species. Guerrerostrongylus zetta and S. lanfrediae had higher abundance and prevalence in adult hosts. The latter species also had higher abundance and prevalence in male hosts. Stilestrongylus aculeata and S. eta had higher prevalence in young female hosts, and T. lenti, higher abundance in males and higher prevalence in adult females of A. montensis. Only the helminth community of O. nigripes in Teresópolis followed a nested pattern of species distribution. All the other helminth communities in A. montensis and O. nigripes had random patterns of species distribution. The results suggest the existence of intrinsic characteristics between hosts and parasites as well as different patterns of associations in those interactions with the environment.

Helminths of sigmodontine rodents in an agroforestry mosaic in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Patterns and processes of the metacommunity structure

“…The mechanistic approach investigates the contribution of different factors to the metacommunity structure by decomposing the variance of a given set of factors ( Dallas and Presley, 2014 ; Cardoso et al, 2020 ). Host attributes, for example (diet, body mass and abundance) are considered important predictors of host-parasite relationships ( Cardoso et al, 2019 , 2020 , 2021 ; Dallas and Presley, 2014 ; Dallas et al, 2019 ; Kamiya et al, 2014 ). The host's diet can contribute to the acquisition of parasites because many parasites that have indirect life-cycles can be acquired by the consumption of their intermediate hosts ( Leung and Koprivnikar, 2019 ).…”

Rodent helminths in fragmented Atlantic Forest areas in the western region of the state of Paraná

“…Nematoda was the most frequent group in this study. Several authors have reported the same findings for other working areas (Cerrado savanna, Pampa grasslands, Caatinga shrubland), and for the same or other small mammal species (Gomes et al, 2003;Navone et al, 2009;Robles, 2011;Simões et al, 2012;Panisse et al, 2017;Hancke & Suárez, 2018;Cardoso et al, 2019). Table 1.…”

Helminth community structure of Didelphis marsupialis (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) in a transition area between the Brazilian Amazon and the Cerrado

“…With regard to host age, O. microcephalus showed a higher abundance and prevalence in adult hosts, consistent with the notion of a gradual increase in infection throughout the host lifespan. In contrast, the greater abundance and prevalence of D. logispiculata in young hosts can be attributed to early infections of this helminth, which has previously been observed in helminths in other mammals (Cardoso et al, 2019;Lucio et al, 2021). Larger hosts are expected to have a larger number of parasites and more parasitic species (Guégan et al, 1992;Morand & Poulin, 1998).…”