Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest China
Chiggers (chigger mites) and gamasid mites are two groups of ectoparasites on rodents, and they can be the vectors or potential vectors of scrub typhus and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), while Bower’s white-toothed rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) can serve as the reservoir h...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Veterinary Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/5/426 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849718933552103424 |
|---|---|
| author | Chenxi Liu Xianguo Guo Yan Lv Pengwu Yin Wenyu Song Peiying Peng Rong Xiang Yanling Chen Bei Li |
| author_facet | Chenxi Liu Xianguo Guo Yan Lv Pengwu Yin Wenyu Song Peiying Peng Rong Xiang Yanling Chen Bei Li |
| author_sort | Chenxi Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Chiggers (chigger mites) and gamasid mites are two groups of ectoparasites on rodents, and they can be the vectors or potential vectors of scrub typhus and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), while Bower’s white-toothed rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) can serve as the reservoir host of the diseases. Based on field investigations at 117 survey sites of southwest China, a total of 2512 mites were collected from 55 <i>B. bowersi</i> rats. Under a microscope, these mites were taxonomically identified as 56 distinct species, comprising 37 chigger mite species and 19 gamasid mite species. The mite infestation burdens on <i>B. bowersi</i> were heavy, with a high prevalence (<i>P<sub>M</sub></i> = 85.45%), mean abundance (<i>MA</i> = 45.67), and intensity (<i>MI</i> = 53.45). Of 56 mite species identified, 7 are vectors of scrub typhus and HFRS. Of the seven vector mite species, <i>Leptotrombidium scutellare</i> was one of dominant chigger species, with a higher infestation index on rats (<i>P<sub>M</sub></i> = 21.82%, <i>MA</i> = 7.76) than the other six vector mite species. The sex ratio of female gamasid mites was higher than that of males. The number and infestation of adult gamasid mites were higher than those of immature mites. The infestation indexes of mites on <i>B. bowersi</i> hosts varied with the host’s sex and age and fluctuated along different environmental gradients. The association coefficient (<i>V</i>) showed a slight positive association between chiggers and gamasid mites, suggesting that these two groups of mites may coexist on <i>B. bowersi</i> rats. Spearman correlation coefficients showed positive correlations among some dominant and vector mite species, indicating that some mite species tend to select the same hosts. A total of 69 mite species (47 chigger mite species and 22 gamasid mite species) on <i>B. bowersi</i> were estimated by species rarefaction and extrapolation curves. In conclusion, <i>Berylmys bowersi</i> has a high susceptibility to mite infestation, and it has the potential to harbor abundant mites, with heavy mite burdens. The occurrence of vector mite species, especially <i>L. scutellare</i> (the dominant species), increases the potential risk of transmission and the focus persistence of scrub typhus and HFRS in southwest China. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10e1cdf7e42b4e71a5e34deaf97d6fc8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2306-7381 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Veterinary Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-10e1cdf7e42b4e71a5e34deaf97d6fc82025-08-20T03:12:15ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812025-04-0112542610.3390/vetsci12050426Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest ChinaChenxi Liu0Xianguo Guo1Yan Lv2Pengwu Yin3Wenyu Song4Peiying Peng5Rong Xiang6Yanling Chen7Bei Li8Institute of Pathogens and Vectors, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Dali University, Dali 671000, ChinaInstitute of Pathogens and Vectors, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Dali University, Dali 671000, ChinaInstitute of Pathogens and Vectors, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Dali University, Dali 671000, ChinaInstitute of Pathogens and Vectors, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Dali University, Dali 671000, ChinaInstitute of Pathogens and Vectors, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Dali University, Dali 671000, ChinaInstitute of Microbiology, Qujing Medical College, Qujing 655100, ChinaInstitute of Pathogens and Vectors, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Dali University, Dali 671000, ChinaShenshan Central Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shanwei 516600, ChinaInstitute of Pathogens and Vectors, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Dali University, Dali 671000, ChinaChiggers (chigger mites) and gamasid mites are two groups of ectoparasites on rodents, and they can be the vectors or potential vectors of scrub typhus and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), while Bower’s white-toothed rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) can serve as the reservoir host of the diseases. Based on field investigations at 117 survey sites of southwest China, a total of 2512 mites were collected from 55 <i>B. bowersi</i> rats. Under a microscope, these mites were taxonomically identified as 56 distinct species, comprising 37 chigger mite species and 19 gamasid mite species. The mite infestation burdens on <i>B. bowersi</i> were heavy, with a high prevalence (<i>P<sub>M</sub></i> = 85.45%), mean abundance (<i>MA</i> = 45.67), and intensity (<i>MI</i> = 53.45). Of 56 mite species identified, 7 are vectors of scrub typhus and HFRS. Of the seven vector mite species, <i>Leptotrombidium scutellare</i> was one of dominant chigger species, with a higher infestation index on rats (<i>P<sub>M</sub></i> = 21.82%, <i>MA</i> = 7.76) than the other six vector mite species. The sex ratio of female gamasid mites was higher than that of males. The number and infestation of adult gamasid mites were higher than those of immature mites. The infestation indexes of mites on <i>B. bowersi</i> hosts varied with the host’s sex and age and fluctuated along different environmental gradients. The association coefficient (<i>V</i>) showed a slight positive association between chiggers and gamasid mites, suggesting that these two groups of mites may coexist on <i>B. bowersi</i> rats. Spearman correlation coefficients showed positive correlations among some dominant and vector mite species, indicating that some mite species tend to select the same hosts. A total of 69 mite species (47 chigger mite species and 22 gamasid mite species) on <i>B. bowersi</i> were estimated by species rarefaction and extrapolation curves. In conclusion, <i>Berylmys bowersi</i> has a high susceptibility to mite infestation, and it has the potential to harbor abundant mites, with heavy mite burdens. The occurrence of vector mite species, especially <i>L. scutellare</i> (the dominant species), increases the potential risk of transmission and the focus persistence of scrub typhus and HFRS in southwest China.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/5/426chigger mitegamasid miteinfestationrodentsouthwest China |
| spellingShingle | Chenxi Liu Xianguo Guo Yan Lv Pengwu Yin Wenyu Song Peiying Peng Rong Xiang Yanling Chen Bei Li Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest China Veterinary Sciences chigger mite gamasid mite infestation rodent southwest China |
| title | Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest China |
| title_full | Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest China |
| title_fullStr | Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest China |
| title_short | Abundance and Infestation of Mites on Bower’s White-Toothed Rat (<i>Berylmys bowersi</i>) in Southwest China |
| title_sort | abundance and infestation of mites on bower s white toothed rat i berylmys bowersi i in southwest china |
| topic | chigger mite gamasid mite infestation rodent southwest China |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/5/426 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chenxiliu abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT xianguoguo abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT yanlv abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT pengwuyin abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT wenyusong abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT peiyingpeng abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT rongxiang abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT yanlingchen abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina AT beili abundanceandinfestationofmitesonbowerswhitetoothedratiberylmysbowersiiinsouthwestchina |