The Pereyra Iraola Biosphere Reserve (Buenos Aires, Argentina) as a model for the cross-sectional and longitudinal study of the infestation of the tropical rat mite, Ornithonyssus bacoti (Mesostigmata, Macronyssidae), a parasite of wild rodents (Cricetidae)
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Acari, Ectoparasite, MaB, Pereyra Park, Punta LaraAbstract
The Pereyra Iraola Biosphere Reserve (RBPI), located on the Río de la Plata coast, comprises the Punta Lara Natural Reserve (RNPL) and the Pereyra Iraola Park (PPI). It constitutes a mosaic of environments with high biodiversity and varying degrees of conservation under increasing anthropogenic pressure, where wild rodents harbor diverse ectoparasites, including Ornithonyssus bacoti, a species of sanitary importance. The objective of this study is to analyze the variation in the prevalence (P) and mean abundance (AM) of O. bacoti using data from surveys conducted in RNPL (1990-1996) and PPI (2017-2018). Differences were assessed using Fisher's exact test for P and Bootstrap-t for AM, considering species with n?10 parasites per site. Of the 352 rodents examined, 107 (S=7) were parasitized by 917 O. bacoti. In the RNPL, the AM of O. bacoti in O. rufus was significantly higher than in the PPI (AM=5.13 vs. AM=1.43; p=0.02), while the P did not differ between locations (P=53.6% vs. P=36.4%; p>0.05). In the RNPL, no significant differences in AM or P were observed between O. rufus (AM=5.13; P=53.6%) and Scapteromys aquaticus (AM=4.85; P=48.6%). The remaining rodent species showed AM?0.15 and P?7.4%, and/or insufficient sample sizes. The results show a consistent association of O. bacoti with O. rufus in the RBPI, which, due to its zoonotic potential, highlights the need for integrated conservation and public health approaches in the area.
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