Microsoft Word - 7-hashareh Dr Kia RTL.doc Iranian J Arthropod-Borne Dis, (2009), 3(2): 44-49 EB Kia et al: Ectoparasites of Rodents ….. 44 Original Article Ectoparasites of Rodents Captured in Bandar Abbas, Southern Iran EB Kia, H Moghddas-Sani, H Hassanpoor, H Vatandoost, F Zahabiun, AA Akhavan, AA Hanafi-Bojd, *Z Telmadarraiy School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 14155-6446, Tehran, Iran (Received 23 Jul 2008; accepted 5 Nov 2009) Abstract Background: Rodents play important role as host of ectoparasites and reservoir of different zoonotic diseases. The aim of this study was to asses the infestation of commensal rodents with ectoparasites in Bandar Abbas, a port city located in the northern part of the Persian Gulf in Iran. Methods: Rodents were captured using live traps during the study period in year 2007. After transferring the rodents to the laboratory, they were identified and then their ectoparasites were collected and mounted for species identifica- tion using appropriate systematic keys. Results: A total of 77 rodents were identified including Rattus norvegicus (74%), R. rattus (16.9%), Mus musculus (7.8%) and one hamster. Among all rodents, 40.3% were found infested with ectoparasites. A total of 69 ectopara- sites were collected comprising flea, lice, mite and tick. Two species of fleas; Xenopsylla cheopis and X. astia were identified with higher index of X. astia. Two genera of ticks including Hyalomma sp. and Rhipicephalus sp. were identified. Laelaps nuttalli was the only mite found. The Polyplax spinulosa was considered as lice ectoparasite. Conclusion: Among all arthropods collected, flea and lice had the most and the least frequency, respectively. Nearly all rodent species were infested with Xenopsylla. These fleas are important due to their role in plague and murine ty- phus transmission. Ticks are important due to their role in CCHF (Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever), theileriosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis transmission. Monitoring of ectoparaiste infestation is important for preparedness and early warning preparation for possible control of arthropod-borne diseases. Keywords: Rodents, Ectoparasite, Iran Introduction Rodents play an important role in dis- ease transmission by their urine, feces, bite, and ectoparasites. Different disease agents oof bacteria, rickettsia, viruses, protozoa and hel- minthes can be transmitted by rodents to hu- man and animals. Some examples of such dis- eases are plague, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, rat-bite fever, leishmaniasis, Chagas' disease, Omsk hemorrhagic fever, murine typhus and Lassa fever (Bell et al. 1988) Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF theilerios, babesia, anaplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis (Inokuma et al. 2001, 2003). The close association of commen- sal rodents with human and domestic animals is a risk factor for transmission of these diseases. In the previous reports on the ectopara- sites of rodents in different parts of Iran, vari- ous species of ectoparasites have been oc- curred, most of them with medically or vet- erinary importance. In a study carried out in Korram-Abad, Lurestan Province, Iran dur- ing year 2002-2003 a total of 167 rodent specimens were captured. Altogether 218 ec- toparasites related to 3 orders, 6 families, 6 genera, and 7 species were recognized. Fleas with 3 species had the most number of species, mites and lice allocated the most (64.67%) and the least (3.21%) frequency of ectoparasites, *Corresponding author: Dr Z Telmadarraiy, E-mail: telmadarraiy@tums.ac.ir Iranian J Arthropod-Borne Dis, (2009), 3(2): 44-49 EB Kia et al: Ectoparasites of Rodents ….. 45 respectively. Haemolaelaps glasgowi (42.2%) was the most common ectoparasite while, Nosopsyllus irranus only constituted approxi- mately 0.91% of specimens (Shayan and Ra- finejad 2005). Motevalli Hagghi et al. (2000 and 2002) conducted two studies in Sari rural and ur- ban areas, southern part of Caspian Sea. They found R. norvegicus, R. rattus, Mus muscu- uls, Glis glis, Apodemous sylvaticus, Nesokia indica and Arvicola terrestris. The main im- portant ectoprasites in those studies were Echi- nolaelaps echidnini, Hoplopleura sp., Phi- picephalus sp. and Nosopsyllus fasciatus. Ectoparasites of various species of ro- dents were examined from Sarepole Zehab, Kermanshah Province, Iran, during 2005. A total of 139 rodents included 6 species of hosts were captured during all different seasons and examined for ectoparasites. The hosts included Microtus socialis, Mus musculus, Rattus rattus, Nesokia indica, Meriones persicus and Tatera indica. The 9 species of ectopara- sites recovered included 3 fleas (Pulex irri- tans, Xenopsylla buxtoni, Nosopsyllus me- dus), one sucking lice (Polyplax spinulosa), two ticks (Rhipicephalus sp., Hyalomma sp.), and 3 mites (Laelaps nuttalli, Dermanysus sanguineus, Ornithonussus bacoti). Among all arthropod collected, the lice and flea had the most and least frequency, i.e. 77.7% and 4.4%, respectively (Telmadarraiy et al. 2007). A study was carried out by Hanafi- Bojd et al. (2007) in Bandar Abbas in a con- trol program campaign. They found 105 ro- dents demonstrating four species including R. rattus (3%), R. norvegicus (78%), M. mus- culus (3%) and Tatera indica (16%), before the control program. After 12 months, the duration of control program, rodents were re-captured to assessment the success of con- trol activity. In this stage, 35 small mammals demonstrating four species were obtained iclud- ing R. norvegicus (51.4%), R. rattus (37.1%), T. indica (8.6%) and one weasel (2.9%). The identified ectoparasites were Xenopsylla bux- toni, Rhipicephalus sp., Polyplax gerbilli, Haplopleura captiosa, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Laelaps nuttalli, Dermanyssus americanus, Dermanyssus sanguineus, Haemolaelaps glas- gowi and Echinolaelaps echidninus. During an investigation on the endopara- sites of rodents in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Prov- ince, south western Iran, a total of 90 rodents including 14 M. musculus, 4 R. rattus and 72 R. norvegicus were trapped from different localities of Ahvaz and its suburbs, during 1998- 2000. Examination of different tissues and iden- tification of parasite species showed that the va- riation among helminth species was wide espe- cially those which arthropods are involved in their life cycles. The most prevalent species of rodents was R. norvegicus in which Try- panosoma lewisi and Trichosomoides crassi- cauda were the most prevalent species of protozoan and helminth parasites, respectively. Gongylonema monigi, Streptopharagus ku- ntzi and Rictularia ratti from R. norvegicus and Gongylonema neoplasticum from both R. norvegicus and R. rattus were reported for the first time in Iran. Report of Physocepha- lus sexalatus from R. norvegicus apparently comprised a new host species in the world (Kia et al. 2001). Similar studies on endoparasites of rodents in other parts of the country and the association of medical and veterinary impor- tant arthropods will reveal better understanding the life cycles of arthropod-borne disease. There is considerable potential for investigation of the ecological, physiological and systematic rela- tionships of the ectoparasites and their hosts. Unfortunately, there has been no coordinated research effort, and much of the research has been directed only to economically important species or disease vectors. In order to find a correlation among ectoparasites and endopara- sites joint studies on both agents with improve- ment of inter-sectoral coordination of medical entomologists and parasitologists is essential. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of ectoparasites in commensal rodents of Bandar Abbas for further control measures. Iranian J Arthropod-Borne Dis, (2009), 3(2): 44-49 EB Kia et al: Ectoparasites of Rodents ….. 46 Materials and Methods Geographical information on study area Bandar Abbas lies in the western part of Hormozgan Province of Iran. It is the capital city of the province and the main port in Iran in the Persian Gulf. This has made it a developing city with many new construc- tions. It has also become an important trad- ing center. This aspect of development has led to migration of too many people to Bandar Abbas, both from other provinces of Iran and from the neighboring countries. Bandar Abbas is situated on flat ground with an average alti- tude of 9 meter above sea level. Its coordi- nates are: 27°11′N 56°16′E. The city has a hot and humid climate. Maximum temperature in summer can reach up to 49 °C while in win- ters the minimum temperature drops to about 5 °C. The annual rainfall is around 251 mm and the relative humidity is 66% (Fig.1). Rodent collection Rodents were collected using live traps. The traps were set at different parts of the city at various occasions in year 2007. Traps were baited with favorite foods of rodents at differ- ent seasons. Trapped rodents Ectoparasites collection was transferred to laboratory and after morphometrical meas- urements their ectoparasites were picked up using brush against the fur of rodents. Mites, lice and fleas were collected by this method. Occasionally forceps were used for tick col- lection. All ectoparasites were stored at 70% alcohol for preservation and further species identification. Ectoparasites and rodents identification Ectoparasite samples were mounted using clearing, dehydration and mounting procedure and preserved constantly with Canada balsam. Species identification of lice, flea, mites and also ticks were carried out according to the avail- able systematic keys (Strandtmann & Wharton, 1958). Rodents were identified after recording their different morphological characteristics. Fig. 1. Hormozgan Province and Bandar Abbas City, Iran Results During this study, a total of 77 rodents were captured from different parts of the city in Bandar Abbas. The rodents included four species (Table 1). Among commensal ro- dents Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus had the most and least frequency (74%, versus 7.8%, respectively). In general 40.3% of the rodents were found infested with ecto- parasites. A total of 69 ectoparasites were col- lected from the rodents including lice (Poly- plax spinulosa), ticks (Hyalomma sp. and Rhipicephalus sp.), mite (Laelaps nuttalli) and flea (Xenopsylla astia and X. cheopis), with the highest rate of the latest. The ectoparasite groups and their abundancy in each host are shown in Table 1. According to this table the catch rate of ectoparasites on R. norgvegicus, R. rattus. M. musculus and hamster were 76.8, 11.6, 1.5 and 10.1%, respectively. Iranian J Arthropod-Borne Dis, (2009), 3(2): 44-49 EB Kia et al: Ectoparasites of Rodents ….. 47 Table 1. Ectoparasite groups among rodents in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province Ectoparasite Flea Mite Lice Tick Total catch Rodent species Catch No. Catch rate (%) Catch No. Catch rate (%) Catch No. Catch rate (%) Catch No. Catch rate (%) Catch No. Catch rate (%) R. norvegicus (n=57) 47 88.7 3 5.7 1 1.9 2 3.8 53 76.8 R. rattus (n=13) 6 75 2 25 0 0 0 0 8 11.6 M. musculus (n=6) 0 0 1 100 0 0 0 0 1 1.5 Hamster (n=1) 7 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 10.1 Total (n=77) 60 87 6 8.7 1 1.4 2 2.9 69 100 Discussion Ectoparasites of rodents play an impor- tant role for disease transmission to human and animals. For example X. cheopis (orien- tal rat flea) and X. astia are responsible for transmitting Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. As it is now generally admitted, one or more species of fleas occurring on the common rats, R. rattus and R. norvegicus, are concerned in the transmission of plague. Thus, the study of these fleas has become a matter of the highest importance in connection with the prevention of the diseases. In the current study, the most abundant ectoparasite was Xenopsylla with 88.7% catch rate in R. norvegicus. The predominance of flea has been re- ported in some similar studies. In a study in Huambo, Angola eight species of ectopara- sites were collected from 166 commensal ro- dents, including R. rattus, R. norvegicus and Mus musculus from January to December 1986. The oriental rat flea, X. cheopis, was the predominant species with respect to mean intensity and prevalence. The mite Laelaps muricola, the louse Polyplax spinulosa, one species of Ixodes latreille, and one species of Ornithonyssus sambon were also recorded (Linardi et al. 1994). In another study which presented ectoparasites for four species of commensal murid rodents Rattus rattus pale- lae, R. argentiventer, R. exulans and Mus musculus castaneus in Sulawesi Utara, Indo- nesia, the flea, X. cheopis, was the most common on R. rattus (Durden and Page 2008). Additionally, rat ectoparasite surveys in rela- tion to Murine Typhus Fever in Puerto Rico were studied by Fox and García-Moll (1961). They found that rats were infested with X. cheopis. Other common rat ectoparasites, Lae- laps nuttalli, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Listro- phoroides expansus, and Polyplax spinulosa increased in abundance. In the present study, the highest total catch rate was related to R. norvegicus. The catch rate of flea on rats was 87%; this figure for mite was calculated as 8.7%. In a study carried out in Egypt from April 2006 to March 2007 (El Kady et al. 2007) the ectoparasites infesting commensally rodents of different lo- calities were determined. Totally 135 rodents were captured including R. norvegicus R. rattus frugivorous, R. rattus alexandrinus and Mus musculus. From 388 ecto-parasite infested rodent collected number and ecto index was: fleas n= 114 (0.84 flea/rat), lice n= 93 (0.69 lice/rat), mites n= 165 (1.2 mite/rat) and larva of ticks n= 16 (0.12 tick/rat). In this study fleas n= 53 (0.76 flea/rat), lice n= 1 (0.69 lice/rat), mites n= 5 (0.07 mite/rat) and nymph of ticks n= 16 (0.12 tick/rat), Mus musculus including only mites n= 1 (0.16 mite/Mus) and flea in Hamester n= 7 (7 flea/Ham.) Another Iranian J Arthropod-Borne Dis, (2009), 3(2): 44-49 EB Kia et al: Ectoparasites of Rodents ….. 48 study in Egypt revealed that Rattus rattus frugivorus, R. norvegicus and Meriones shawi were the most vulnerable hosts for ectopara- sites while Mus musculus harbored the lowest numbers of ectoparasites. Fleas, lice and mites were found on rodent species the whole year round, but reached a peak in the spring and summer months. The isolated ectoparasites in- cluded X. cheopis, Leptopsylla segnis, Echi- donphaga gallinacea, Polyplax spinulosa, P. vacillata,P. gerbilli, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Laelaps nuttalli, Echinolaelaps echidninus and Haemolaelaps glasgowi. Distribution of ectoparasites varied according to rodent host and location (El Deeb et al. 1999). In the survey conducted on commercial and wild rodents from different locations in Wadi Hanifah in Riyadh six species of rodents were collected. The trapped rodents in de- scending order of numbers were Rattus rat- tus rattus, Acomys dimidiatus, Meriones li- bycus, R. rattus frugivorus, R. rattus al- exandrinus and Mus musculus. The ectopara- sites were a flea, Xenopsyllus sp. on R. rattus frugivorus and a tick, Rhipicephalus turani- cus on each of A. dimidiatus and R. rattus alexandrinus. They mentioned that rodents’ ectoparasites were low in study area and this is probably due to the severe hot and very dry weather mainly in the summer season (Al- ahmed and Al-Dawood 2001). After all, the catch rate and infestation rate to different ec- toparasite depend on season, size of rodents, host preference, sex of host, host age, location of capture and co-evolution between rodent and ectoparasites. To sum up the results of the current study, the role of commensal rodents as hosts of several ectoparasites, all with medically and veterinary importance is emphasized. In this re- gard, the infestation of both R. norvegicus and R. rattus with Xenopsylla is highlighted. Additionally, the infestation of the lone ham- ster, which was an accidentally trapped pet, with a relatively high burden of flea is an indi- cation of the importance of such rodents in transmission of arthropod borne disease in the area, especially to children who are in close contact with pet animals. 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