Leporacarus gibbus (Acari: listrophoridae) in a naturally-infested domestic rabbit: first report of its occurrence in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to report the first occurrence of Leporacarus gibbus in a domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The two-year-old male rabbit came from a rural area and was admitted to the Veterinary Hospital Professor Ricardo Alexandre Hippler with intense pruritus throughout the body, severe hair loss, crustal lesions on the outer surface of the ears, and desquamation mainly in the dorsal region. A skin scraping and trichogram were performed. In the microscopic evaluation of the hairs obtained from the dorsal region, mites with morphology compatible with L. gibbus were observed. Cheyletiella parasitovorax and Psoropotes cuniculi were also detected in the same region. Treatment with ivermectin (0.4 mg/kg) was prescribed with three applications every 14 days, over a period of six weeks. This report presents the first description of the occurrence of L. gibbus in the state of Espírito Santo concomitant with poly-infestation of C. parasitovorax and P. cuniculi, and it is hoped that this will provide a research tool for future work in the region.