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Life cycle and parasitic competence of Dermacentor nitens Neumann, 1897 (Acari: Ixodidae) on different animal species.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the life cycle and parasitic competence of Dermacentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) on different animal species. Experimental infestations were induced in five specimens each of seven species of possible hosts: rabbits, horses, sheep, cows, guinea pigs, birds and dogs. Rabbits were infested in the ear using artificial feeding chambers, and the horses, sheep, cows and dogs were infested in the ear without feeding chambers. For the infestation of guinea pigs, artificial feeding chambers were fixed on the back. Birds were infested by placing larvae on the back and under the wings without the use of chambers. All animals were inspected daily until the end of the parasitic phase (when the engorged females detached). The average period of engorgement was 25.1days on a horse, with larvae requiring 8days and nymphs 9days to reach engorgement; the average weight of engorged females was 271.4mg; the average weight of egg batches produced was 159.3mg, and the feed conversion rate was 56.8%. On rabbits, the average engorgement period was 27.6days, larvae and nymphs reached engorgement after 7.4 and 11days, respectively, the average weight of an engorged female was 108.4mg and the egg mass was 30.6mg. The feed conversion rate on rabbits was 30%. Cows, sheep, guinea pigs, dogs and birds were not competent hosts, since no engorged females were recovered. Rabbits, when artificially infested, can be used as an alternative host for the maintenance of these ticks in the laboratory. The parasitic specificity of D. nitens for horses was demonstrated in this study.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2016-12-31 PubMed ID: 28063831DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.12.014Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research highlights the life cycle and parasitic competence of Dermacentor nitens ticks on different animal species. It suggests that these ticks most effectively parasitize horses and rabbits, while cows, sheep, guinea pigs, dogs, and birds are not competent hosts.
Research Methodology
- The researchers used seven species of animals to study the effectiveness of parasitization by Dermacentor nitens, a type of tick species: rabbits, horses, sheep, cows, guinea pigs, birds, and dogs.
- They induced experimental infestations on five specimens of each animal species.
- For infestations, researchers placed ticks on different parts of the animals, either with or without the use of artificial feeding chambers.
- Daily inspections of all infested animals were conducted until the end of each parasitic phase, which occurred when engorged female ticks detached from the hosts.
Findings
- The study showed that the average engorgement period of ticks on horses was 25.1 days, in which larvae took 8 days and nymphs took 9 days to reach full engorgement. The average weight of engorged female ticks on horses was 271.4mg, and they produced an average egg mass of 159.3mg.
- In contrast, on rabbits, the average engorgement period was slightly longer – 27.6 days with larvae and nymphs taking 7.4 and 11 days, respectively, to become fully engorged. The average weight of an engorged female tick on a rabbit was 108.4mg, and she produced an average egg mass of 30.6mg.
- Of note, the conversion rate of feed into body weight (feed conversion rate) was higher in ticks on horses than on rabbits – 56.8% compared to 30%.
- None of the other animal species (cows, sheep, guinea pigs, dogs and birds) hosted engorged female ticks, making them incompetent hosts for D. nitens.
Conclusion
- Based on these findings, the researchers suggested that when infested artificially, rabbits could serve as an alternative host for maintaining tick populations in laboratory settings.
- Data from the study revealed a specific parasitic affinity of D. nitens for horses, as they demonstrated the most optimal conditions for the tick’s life cycle.
Cite This Article
APA
Rodrigues VDS, Garcia MV, Cruz BC, Maciel WG, Zimmermann NP, Koller WW, Barros JC, Andreotti R.
(2016).
Life cycle and parasitic competence of Dermacentor nitens Neumann, 1897 (Acari: Ixodidae) on different animal species.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis, 8(3), 379-384.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.12.014 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Pós-Graduação em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias-Faculdade de Medicina, UFMS-Univ. Federal Mato Grosso do Sul, Laboratório de Biologia do Carrapato, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. Electronic address: vinicius_srod@hotmail.com.
- Laboratório de Biologia do Carrapato, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Bolsista DCR Fundect, MS-Governo do estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. Electronic address: marcosvagar@gmail.com.
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP-Univ. Estadual Paulista, Campus de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, CPPAR-Centro de Pesquisas em Sanidade Animal, Brazil. Electronic address: breno.c.cruz@hotmail.com.
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP-Univ. Estadual Paulista, Campus de Jaboticabal, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, CPPAR-Centro de Pesquisas em Sanidade Animal, Brazil. Electronic address: willian.vet@hotmail.com.
- Laboratório de Biologia do Carrapato, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. Electronic address: namorvet@gmail.com.
- Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. Electronic address: wilson.koller@embrapa.br.
- Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. Electronic address: jacqueline.barros@embrapa.br.
- Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. Electronic address: renato.andreotti@embrapa.br.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Body Weight
- Cattle / parasitology
- Dermacentor / physiology
- Dogs / parasitology
- Feeding Behavior
- Guinea Pigs / parasitology
- Horses / parasitology
- Host Specificity
- Host-Parasite Interactions
- Larva / physiology
- Life Cycle Stages
- Nymph / physiology
- Rabbits / parasitology
- Sheep / parasitology
- Tick Infestations / epidemiology
- Tick Infestations / parasitology
- Tick Infestations / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Holguin-Rocha AF, Calle-Tobon A, Vásquez GM, Astete H, Fisher ML, Tobon-Castano A, Velez-Tobon G, Maldonado-Ruiz LP, Silver K, Park Y, Londono-Renteria B. Diversity of the Bacterial and Viral Communities in the Tropical Horse Tick, Dermacentor nitens, in Colombia. Pathogens 2023 Jul 16;12(7).
- Holguin-Rocha AF, Calle-Tobon A, Vásquez GM, Astete H, Fisher ML, Tobon-Castano A, Velez-Tobon G, Maldonado-Ruiz LP, Silver K, Park Y, Londono-Renteria B. Diversity of the bacterial and viral communities in the tropical horse tick, Dermacentor nitens in Colombia. bioRxiv 2023 May 5;.
- de Siqueira SM, da Costa Maia R, do Nascimento Ramos V, da Silva Rodrigues V, Szabó MPJ. Rhipicephalus microplus and Amblyomma sculptum (Ixodidae) infestation of Nellore cattle (Bos taurus indicus) in a farm of the Brazilian Cerrado: seasonality and infestation patterns. Exp Appl Acarol 2021 Jul;84(3):659-672.
- Lobanov VA, Peckle M, Massard CL, Brad Scandrett W, Gajadhar AA. Development and validation of a duplex real-time PCR assay for the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis. Parasit Vectors 2018 Mar 2;11(1):125.
- Gondard M, Cabezas-Cruz A, Charles RA, Vayssier-Taussat M, Albina E, Moutailler S. Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens of the Caribbean: Current Understanding and Future Directions for More Comprehensive Surveillance. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017;7:490.
- Lu S, Bosio CF, Andrade-Silva V, Moura IA, Ribeiro GB, Berger M, Perinotto WMS, da Silva Vaz Junior I, Tirloni L. An insight into the ovary and midgut transcriptome of Dermacentor nitens tick. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2026 Jan;17(1):102600.
- Donaldson TG, Rich BT, Peterson MR, Wang HH, Grant WE, Thomas DB, Lohmeyer KH, Pérez de León AÁ, Teel PD. Location intelligence unveils seasonal spatiotemporal pattern shifts of habitat use and selection by cattle across a South Texas coastal landscape infested with Rhipicephalus microplus. Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis 2025;8:100322.
- Badillo-Viloria M, Mattar S, Remesar S, de la Rosa-Jaramillo S, García-Bocanegra I, Miranda J, Portillo A, Cervera-Acedo C, Oteo JA, Cano-Terriza D. Rickettsia spp. and Anaplasmataceae in Ticks From Domestic Animals in Northern Colombia. Zoonoses Public Health 2025 Aug;72(5):421-434.
- Gual-Gonzalez L, Torres ME, Self SCW, Cantillo-Barraza O, Nolan MS. Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp. Molecular and Serological Evidence among Colombian Vectors and Animal Hosts: A Historical Review. Insects 2024 Mar 2;15(3).
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