Ticks on birds caught on the campus of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The prevalence of parasitic infections, particularly those caused by ectoparasites, may influence the biology and ecology of wild birds. The aim of this study was to investigate occurrences and identify the species of ticks collected from wild birds caught on the campus of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro. The birds were caught using mist nets between October 2009 and December 2010. In total, 223 birds were caught, represented by 53 species and 19 families in nine orders. Nineteen birds (n = 7 species) were parasitized by immature ticks (prevalence of 8.5%). Forty-four ticks were collected, of which 23 were nymphs and 21 were larvae. There were associations between parasitism by ticks and non-Passeriformes birds, and between parasitism and ground-dwelling birds, which was possibly due to the presence (or inclusion among the captured birds) of Vanellus chilensis (Charadriiformes: Charadriidae). All the nymphs collected were identified as Amblyomma cajennense. In general terms, we must emphasize that wild birds in the study area may play the role of dispersers for the immature stages of A. cajennense, albeit non-preferentially.
Laboratório de Ixodologia, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil. isis@santolin.com.br
Isis Daniele Alves Costa
ID
Santolin
Hermes Ribeiro
HR
Luz
Nívea Maria
NM
Alchorne
Michele da Costa
Mda C
Pinheiro
Ramiro Dário
RD
Melinski
João Luiz Horácio
JL
Faccini
Ildemar
I
Ferreira
Kátia Maria
KM
Famadas
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D001717:Birds / Q000469:parasitology*; D001938:Brazil; D009758:Nymph; D012423:Rural Health; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000662:veterinary*; D013987:Ticks; D014495:Universities