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The chewing lice are obligatory ectoparasites of birds and mammals distributed worldwide. From an expedition to Comaru Island, Brazilian Amazon, a chewing louse parasitizing a Purple Martin [Progne subis (Linnaeus, 1758)], a Neotropical migrant, was collected. The specimen was slide-mounted and identified as a male of Myrsidea dissimilis (Kellogg, 1896) (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae). It represents the first record of this species in the Amazonas State and in Central Amazon.

ABSTRACT Macronyssid mites are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates. We slide-mounted and re-examined mite material collected in a 1987-1989 expedition to Maracá Ecological Station, Roraima State, Brazil. The specimens were identified as Acanthonyssus proechimys Yunker and Saunders (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae), which were collected parasitizing a South American spiny rat, Proechimys sp. This represents the first record of Acanthonyssus in Brazil.

Whartonia Ewing is associated with bats, and in Brazil, there are three species recorded, Whartonia nudosetosa (Wharton), Whartonia pachywhartoni Vercammen-Grandjean, and Whartonia parauapebensis Bassini-Silva & Jacinavicius. Since the species description was first published in 1966, the whereabouts of the type series of W. pachywhartoni has been lost. Because of this, subsequent identifications always carried some doubt. After visiting the USNM collection, two paratypes were found. Here, we provide a detailed redescription of this species based on the newly found paratypes and DIC images of recently collected material to help with future identifications. Also, new records for the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are added for W. pachywhartoni. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fur mites (Trombidiformes: Myobiidae) are true parasites of mammals, especially bats, rodents, and marsupials. In the present study, we examined the fur mites housed at the Acarological Collection of the Butantan Institute (IBSP), Brazil, and providing an annotated checklist of the mites examined, including type species data, new host associations and new locality records.

The genus Quadraseta Brennan, 1970 (Trombiculidae) is distributed in South American, with a few records from Central America. The larvae (chiggers) are primarily mammal parasites, with one species from birds. Examination of unidentified material at US National Insect and Mite Collection revealed five species to this genus: Q. brasiliensis Goff & Gettinger, 1989, Q. falconensis Goff & Brennan, 1977, Q. flochi (Brennan & Jones, 1960), Q. mackenziei (Yunker & Brennan 1964), and Q. mirandae Goff & Brennan, 1977. This study resulted in new South American localities and host records for these species.

Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese, 1888), known as the tropical fowl mite, is a hematophagous mite of domestic and wild birds. This mite can bite humans accidentally, causing “gamasoidosis,” “avian-mite dermatitis,” or “bird-mite dermatitis” in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Brazil, O. bursa was previously recorded parasitizing birds of the orders Charadriiformes Huxley, 1867, Columbiformes Latham, 1790, Galliformes Temminck, 1820, Passeriformes Linnaeus, 1758, Strigiformes Wagler, 1830, and Tinamiformes Huxley, 1872. Here, we provide a new association of O. bursa with Harris’s hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus (Temminck, 1824) (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) and the first record of this mite species in the Paraíba State, Brazil.

We report on the presence of scale mites (Trombidiformes: Pterygosomatidae) parasitizing three species of lizards in Timor-Leste. Geckobia bataviensis Vitzthum, 1926 was found associated with the Common House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron, 1836, and the Indopacific Tree Gecko, Hemiphyllodactylus typus Bleeker, 1860, whereas Pterygosoma dracoensis Jack, 1962 was found on the patagia of a Timor Flying Dragon, Draco timoriensis Kuhl, 1820. The association of G. bataviensis with H. frenatus was well documented previously, but this is the first properly documented record of this mite for Timor-Leste. Our report of G. bataviensis on H. typus is the first association of this mite with this gecko. This is the second report of P. dracoensis on D. timoriensis and the first for Timor-Leste.

Macronyssid mites are ectoparasites of reptiles, birds, and mammals (mainly bats). Out of 35 genera in this family, Radfordiella Fonseca, 1948 is a genus from the Neotropical region with six valid species, found parasitizing phyllostomid bats. Only Radfordiella desmodi Radovsky, 1967 and Radfordiella oudemansi Fonseca, 1948 have been registered in Brazil. The present study provides a new locality record for the species R. desmodi, microscopy images to aid in the identification, and a distribution map.

Chigger mites are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates and can even bite humans, causing lesions on their skins. The co-parasitism is gradually being reported for this family, and recent studies have highlighted this relationship worldwide. In Brazil, only some records of chigger species co-parasitizing rodents and lizards in the Pernambuco and Piauí States were done. The present study reports six co-parasitism situations in cricetid rodents collected in the Morro Grande Forest Reserve, Cotia Municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Chiggers are ectoparasites and can cause severe dermatitis in their hosts, known as trombiculiasis. Besides that, these mites can be vectors of bacteria of the genus Orientia, in various regions of the world. The genera Eutrombicula Ewing, 1938 is currently represented by more than 80 species worldwide. Species of this genus are recorded parasitizing reptiles, birds, and mammals. One of this species, Eutrombicula daemoni Bassini-Silva & Jacinavicius, 2018 was recently described causing trombiculiasis in a dog. Our goal is to report a new case of a dog’s trombiculiasis, including a new locality record for E. daemoni in Brazil. In May 2021, a female Shih-Tzu dog with three years old and with access to the forest of the Santa Tereza municipality, southeastern Brazil, sought veterinary medical attention for intense itching and erythema in the facial region. Mites were collected directly from the face of the dog. These materials were slide-mounted and deposited in the Acarological Collection of the Butantan Institute (IBSP). The material extracted from the dog was examined and identified as E. daemoni. Part of the fixation site tissue of the dog was collected, showing the feeding tube produced by the enzymatic reaction of saliva by the mite, known as a stylostome. In this report, we emphasize the occurrence of trombiculiasis in domestic animals that have access to forest regions, places that unfed chigger larvae live. Additionally, this record represents a new locality record for E. daemoni to the Espírito Santo State, Brazil.

Battery poultry houses are subject to infestations by pests, such as the ectoparasitic mites Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778) and Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese, 1888) which are hematophagous and can cause skin lesions, stress, and even death of hens, leading to significant economic losses. Recent European studies have shown that these mites can also work as vectors of pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, due to the absence of records on the association between D. gallinae and O. bursa and pathogenic microorganisms in Brazil, the present study aimed to identify pathogenic bacteria through a metagenomics analysis associated with mites collected from a poultry house located in a rural area of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and direct from a skin' person that lives in a farm in the interior of the state of São Paulo (Brazil). For the material collected in Rio Grande do Sul, a higher predominance of endosymbiotic bacteria, and different species of the pathogenic bacteria species Bartonella was observed. On the other hand, some enterobacteria were identified from O. bursa samples, but the amount was not high enough to identify the species. Additionally, the endosymbiotic Wolbachia spp. was identified in both O. bursa samples (pooled and individuals). Besides the detection of Wolbachia, in the individual O. bursa microbiome, we detected Spiroplasma spp. and 'Candidatus Cardinium'. This is the first time that a microbiome study has been made for the species D. gallinae and O. bursa in Brazil, as well as the first time that Wolbachia, Spiroplasma and 'Candidatus Cardinium' was detected in O. bursa samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The chigger species Blankaartia sinnamaryi (Floch & Fauran) has been collected mainly from birds with a few records from reptiles and mammals. In Brazil, this species has been found on birds in the Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states. Here, we report the first record of B. sinnamaryi parasitizing the striped owl, Pseudoscops clamator (Vieillot), in the Paraíba state, Brazil (northeastern region).

Spinturnicid mites are ectoparasites exclusively of bats. Herein, we provide a comprehensive catalogue of spinturnicid species recorded in Brazil focusing on their distribution nationwide. This catalogue listed 16 spinturnicid species into four different genera, and a key for the genera recorded in Brazil. Also, it provides new locality records for four species: Cameronieta almaensis Almeida, Gettinger and Gardner, Periglischrus acutisternus Machado-Allison, Periglischrus caligus Kolenati, and Periglischrus iheringi Oudemans. Additionally, this study includes a detailed discussion on the host-specificity and molecular data of these mites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we described two new species, Euschoengastia mojavensissp. n. and Blankaartia aurissp. n. collected from rodents in the Amargosa River valley near Tecopa, in Inyo County, California, USA. We also redescribe the most similar Euschoengastia species when compared with the new species, Euschoengastia fasolla Brennan and Beck, 1955, from Berry Springs Nature Reserve, Utah, USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New World genus Hooperella Vercammen-Grandjean has five valid species that are often collected parasitizing bats. Two of these species were examined in the present study, Hooperella spinirostra and Hooperella vesperuginis. Moreover, after examining both types, we propose H. spinirostra as a junior synonym of H. vesperuginis, since no difference was observed between them. In addition, we add new locality and host records for H. vesperuginis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of species that connect the different types of interactions is becoming increasingly recognized, and this role may be related to specific attributes of these species. Multilayer networks have two or more layers, which represent different types of interactions, for example, between different parasites and hosts that are nonetheless connected. The understanding of the ecological relationship between bats, ectoparasites, and vector-borne bacteria could shed some light on the complex transmission cycles of these pathogens. In this study, we investigated a multilayer network in Brazil formed by interactions between bat-bacteria, bat-ectoparasite, and ectoparasite-bacteria, and asked how these interactions overlap considering different groups and transmission modes. The multilayer network was composed of 31 nodes (12 bat species, 14 ectoparasite species, and five bacteria genera) and 334 links, distributed over three layers. The multilayer network has low modularity and shows a core-periphery organization, that is, composed of a few generalist species with many interactions and many specialist species participating in few interactions in the multilayer network. The three layers were needed to accurately describe the multilayer structure, while aggregation leads to loss of information. Our findings also demonstrated that the multilayer network is influenced by a specific set of species that can easily be connected to the behavior, life cycle, and type of existing interactions of these species. Four bat species (Artibeus lituratus, A. planirostris, Phyllostomus discolor, and Platyrrhinus lineatus), one ectoparasite species (Steatonyssus) and three bacteria genera (Ehrlichia, hemotropic Mycoplasma and Neorickettsia) are the most important species for the multilayer network structure. Finally, our study brings an ecological perspective under a multilayer network approach on the interactions between bats, ectoparasites, and pathogens. By using a multilayer approach (different types of interactions), it was possible to better understand these different ecological interactions and how they affect each other, advancing our knowledge on the role of bats and ectoparasites as potential pathogen vectors and reservoirs, as well as the modes of transmission of these pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiggers are ectoparasites of vertebrates and can cause trombiculiasis or transmit pathogens to their hosts. In the Neotropical region, the genus Quadraseta Brennan includes 16 valid species. Quadraseta antillarum (Brennan) and Quadraseta brennani (Goff & Whitaker), are morphologically identical and we propose the synonymy of Q. brennani with Q. antillarum, based on examination of both type series. The little big-eared bat, Micronycteris megalotis Gray from Venezuela is recorded as a new host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chewing louse genus Eutrichophilus Mjöberg has 19 species only associated with porcupines (Rodentia: Erethizontidae). Of these species, E. cercolabes , E. cordiceps , E. emersoni , E. minor , E. moojeni, and E. paraguayensis have been recorded in Brazil. In the present study, we report E. cordiceps for the first time in the São Paulo State (Bauru Municipality) and for the second time in the Santa Catarina State (Lages Municipality), providing scanning electron images and light microscopy for the eggs, as well as the first molecular data (18S rRNA) for the genus. Additionally, Bartonella sp. was detected for the first time in this chewing lice species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neotropical chigger genus Boshkerria includes, B. tuberculata and B. punctata, both species parasites mammals in Central and South America. Here, we redescribe B. punctata based on a lectotype and paralectotype designated herein and describe a new species, Boshkerria erwini n. sp., from the green acouchi Myoprocta pratti in Peru. Also, we provide a key to the three species in this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hannemania has 27 described species parasitizing amphibians in the Americas. To date, five species have been recorded from Brazil. Here, we describe a new species for the country, collected parasitising the South American white-lipped grass frog, Miranda's white-lipped frog, basin white-lipped, Bahia dwarf frog and granular toad all from Ceará state, Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoschoengastia is a genus of chiggers that mainly parasitizes birds and is comprised of more than 70 described species widely distributed throughout the world. Here we improve the description of the species Neoschoengastia esorhina based on the type series, also providing drawings of these types. This species is known only from the type series, which was collected in Ananindeua City, Pará State, parasitizing Automolus infuscatus (Passeriformes: Furnariidae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

is a haematophagous mite of veterinary and public health concern. The association between O. bursa and humans in Brazil has been known for several decades, but most of the information is limited and confusing. Herein, we present an overview of the cases of gamasoidosis in Brazil based on published and new records. Wild birds are common sources for human infestation, especially omnivorous and insectivorous birds that live in urban and rural environments. Species of the Columbidae are the most common birds associated with O. bursa in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piscirickettsiosis caused by the intracellular bacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis and caligidosis produced by the ectoparasite Caligus rogercresseyi , are important diseases which generate great economic losses in salmonid farming in Chile. Selective breeding for pathogen resistance has been proposed as an alternative tool for the control of diseases. The objective of the present study is to determine the levels of genetic variation for resistance to P. salmonis and susceptibility to C. rogercresseyi , in addition to investigating the levels of genetic co-variation between these traits and harvest weight in rainbow trout. Resistance to P. salmonis was defined as individual day of death (SRS_DD) and as binary survival (SRS_BS) after an experimental challenge carried out by intraperitoneal injection of an inoculum based on LF89 strain. Susceptibility to C. rogercresseyi (CAL) was measured as the sum of the parasitic load on the pectoral and caudal fins per fish after an experimental challenge. Harvest weight (HW) was recorded in individuals genetically related to challenged fish and analyzed to determine the genetic correlations between this trait and the previous ones. A linear multi-trait animal model was used to estimate (co)variance components for SRS_DD, CAL and HW. A single-trait probit threshold animal model was used to estimate variance components for SRS_BS on the underlying scale. Bivariate linear animal models were used to estimate genetic correlations between SRS_BS on the observed scale and all other traits. The heritabilities for SRS_DD, CAL and HW were 0.45 ± 0.06, 0.08 ± 0.02 and 0.35 ± 0.06, respectively. The heritabilities for SRS_BS were 0.28 ± 0.03 and 0.38 ± 0.05 on the underlying and observed scale, respectively. The genetic correlation between SRS_DD and CAL and between SRS_BS and CAL were 0.39 ± 0.14 and −0.34 ± 0.15, respectively. All other genetic correlations assessed were not significant. We concluded that there is significant additive genetic variation for P. salmonis resistance and C. rogercresseyi susceptibility, which indicates that it is possible to genetically improve these traits in rainbow trout. In addition, there is an unfavorable genetic correlation between P. salmonis resistance and C. rogercresseyi susceptibility and a null genetic correlation between growth and these traits. These results suggest that resistance to P. salmonis or C. rogercresseyi can be simultaneously improved with harvest weight. However, simultaneous selection for P. salmonis and C. rogercresseyi resistance must account for the unfavorable genetic relationship between both traits in this rainbow trout breeding population. • Heritabilities for P. salmonis resistance ranged between 0.28 and 0.45. • Heritability for C. rogercresseyi susceptibility was 0.08. • Heritability for harvest weight was 0.35. • Unfavorable genetic correlation between P. salmonis resistance and C. rogercresseyi susceptibility was detected. • Null genetic correlations between disease resistance and harvest weight were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The species Pseudoschoengastia petrolinensis n. sp. is described and illustrated below from specimens discovered parasitizing a white-eared opossum, Dildelphis albiventris Lund (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae), in Carneiros, Petrolina municipality, Pernambuco state, Brazil. In addition the species Eutrombicula spipi and Quadraseta falconensis are also new records to Brazil. The D. albiventris is a new host record to Eutrombicula batatas, E. spipi, Q. falconensis, and the state of Pernambuco is a new locality for all these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Lepronyssoides Fonseca comprises four Neotropical species associated mainly with rodents. One of these species, L. pereirai (Fonseca), has been recorded parasitizing rodents and marsupials in several states of the north, northeast, and central-west regions of Brazil. This study is based on samples housed at the Acari Collection of the Butantan Institute (IBSP) and the National Collection of Ectoparasites and Vectors of the Univasf (NCEV-Univasf, Petrolina, PE, Brazil). It includes the first record of L. pereirai for the states of Piauí, Mato Grosso do Sul, and new host-associations with Thrichomys pachyurus, T. laurentius and Oecomys cleberi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chigger mites are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates and can cause severe dermatitis in their hosts, known as trombiculiasis. There are 69 recognized species of chiggers in Brazil that parasitize most vertebrate taxa except domestic dogs. In this study, we report the first known record of trombiculiasis with a domestic dog as a host in Brazil. This record additionally represents a new locality record for Eutrombicula daemoni in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chewing louse Werneckiella equi is an ectoparasite of donkeys and other equids. Alphacypermethrin (ACYP) is a pyrethroid insecticide commonly used for the control of insects of veterinary and public health concerns. A trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of ACYP against W. equi on naturally infested donkeys. Parasitological investigations were performed on 13 animals. On day 0, the donkeys received ACYP pour-on at the manufacturer's recommended dose rate for cattle. Louse counts were performed on days −1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 at seven predilection sites on the skin of each donkey. ACYP was completely effective (100 %) from day 7, until the end of the study. ACYP was well tolerated by all animals as there were no observed clinical adverse reactions. ACYP was highly effective, safe, user-friendly, and considered to be suitable for the treatment of donkeys for W. equi infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]