Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Albany Campus, Private Bag 109 904, NSMC, Auckland 0745, New Zealand.
Vet Parasitol. 2011 Jun 30;179(1-3):199-202. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.02.004. Epub 2011 Feb 15.
Duvaucel geckos (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii) are large endemic lizards that have been extirpated from the New Zealand mainland due to introduced mammalian predators. This species has subsequently become the subject of species translocation conservation management in an endeavour to increase the number of populations and as a part of island ecological restoration. Blood sampling of a captive adult male after tail autotomy led to the discovery of a Rickettsia-like organism within this gecko's erythrocytes. We conclude that this infection was acquired at the gecko's source location, a remote island closed to the general public and lacking potential invasive parasite reservoir reptiles. The likely vector is the native mite Geckobia naultina. This finding represents valuable new baseline information about the health parameters of this threatened species. Particularly in the light of the paucity of reported blood parasitism in New Zealand reptiles, the conservation management of this species through relocation and captive-breeding, and the on-going concerns regarding the introduction of novel parasites to New Zealand.
杜瓦尔蜥（Hoplodactylus duvaucelii）是一种大型的特有蜥蜴，由于引入的哺乳动物捕食者，它们已经从新西兰大陆灭绝。由于该物种的数量在减少，为了增加种群数量并进行岛屿生态恢复，该物种成为了物种转移保护管理的对象。对一只断尾的圈养成年雄性蜥蜴进行采血后，在其红细胞内发现了一种类似立克次体的生物体。我们的结论是，这种感染是在蜥蜴的来源地获得的，这个偏远的岛屿不对公众开放，也没有潜在的入侵寄生虫库爬行动物。可能的媒介是本地的螨 Geckobia naultina。这一发现为该濒危物种的健康参数提供了有价值的新基线信息。特别是考虑到新西兰爬行动物报告的血液寄生虫感染很少，通过重新安置和圈养繁殖来管理该物种，以及对引入新西兰的新型寄生虫的持续关注。
