title: Variation in the helminth community structure of three sympatric sigmodontine rodents from the coastal Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
abstract: One hundred and eighty specimens of sigmodontine rodents living in sympatric conditions were collected in the Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (25 Akodon cursor, 98 Akodon montensis and 57 Oligoryzomys nigripes) to examine whether the helminth structure and component communities can be characterized among these three closely related rodents. The parasite species richness was 9 in A. cursor, 12 in A. montensis and 12 in O. nigripes. Five species were common to the three rodent species, and eight were common to A. cursor and A. montensis. The trichostrongylids - Stilestrongylus eta in A. cursor, S. aculeata in A. montensis and S. lanfrediae in O. nigripes - were the species with highest dominance frequency and determined the characterization of individual community structures. The prevalence and abundance of concurrent helminth species among rodents were significantly different. Canonical multivariate analysis demonstrated a similar helminth community structure between A. cursor and A. montensis but a high discrepancy between Akodon spp. and O. nigripes. Thus, the data indicated that small rodents such as A. cursor, A. montenis and O. nigripes that are sympatric and phylogenetically related have a different community structure, but similar component community, suggesting the role of helminth specificity and the hosts' habitats as determinants in structuring their helminth communities.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365 Manguinhos, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: R O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365 Manguinhos, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: J G R
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365 Manguinhos, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Caixa Postal 74508, 23851-970 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Luque
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058448:Biota; D001938:Brazil; D065928:Forests; D006376:Helminths / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D016205:Sigmodontinae / Q000469:parasitology*