title: Ticks and the city: ectoparasites of the Northern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus) in an urban park.
abstract: The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is known to host several ectoparasites and also tick-borne pathogens, but there is scant information on its eastern relative, the Northern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus). We have studied an urban population of E. roumanicus in a city park of central Budapest, Hungary, for 2 years to investigate their tick and flea species. A total of 5063 ticks and 818 fleas were collected from 247 hedgehogs (including 46 recaptures). Ectoparasite prevalence and intensity differed significantly (p<0.001) between the 2 study years attributable to the enhanced tick removal rate due to anaesthesia used in the second year. The most common tick species was Ixodes ricinus (93.7%) followed by unidentified Ixodes larvae (5%). Only 57 hedgehog ticks (I. hexagonus) were removed from 22 hedgehogs. One I. acuminatus and one Hyalomma marginatum nymph were also collected. Mean intensity of tick infestation was 26.5 (range: 0-155 ticks/host) and mean intensity of flea infestation was 6.6 (range: 0-78 fleas/host). Most fleas (99.4%) collected were hedgehog fleas (Archaeopsylla erinacei), dog fleas (Ctenocephalides canis) were found on 2 hedgehogs. Hyalomma marginatum has previously not been found in Hungary, and I. acuminatus was only reported sporadically before. The large number of ectoparasites and the 2 imported tick species may thus survive in close proximity to humans if hedgehogs are present. This calls attention to the risk of possible tick-borne human infections that urban hedgehogs can pose.
authors: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. FoldvariGabor@gmx.de
authors: Gábor
authors: G
authors: Földvári
authors: Krisztina
authors: K
authors: Rigó
authors: Mónika
authors: M
authors: Jablonszky
authors: Nóra
authors: N
authors: Biró
authors: Gábor
authors: G
authors: Majoros
authors: Viktor
authors: V
authors: Molnár
authors: Mária
authors: M
authors: Tóth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058267:Flea Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006364:Hedgehogs / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D018884:Ixodes / Q000502:physiology; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva; D009758:Nymph; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000502:physiology*; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014505:Urban Population