Mohd Zain Siti Nursheena, Amdan Syed Arnez Syed Khalil, Braima Kamil A, Abdul-Aziz Noraishah M, Wilson John-James, Sithambaran Paramesvaran, Jeffery John
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera, 15-1, Mercu UEM, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Parasit Vectors. 2015 Apr 29;8:254. doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-0850-1.
A considerable number of rat-borne ectoparasite studies have been conducted since the early 1930s in the Malayan Peninsula (now known as peninsular Malaysia). The majority of studies were field surveys and collections of specimens across the region, and were conducted primarily to catalogue the ectoparasite host distribution and discover novel species. This has generated a signification amount of information, particularly on the diversity and host distribution; other aspects such as morphology, host distribution and medical significance have also been investigated. Amongst the four main groups (mites, fleas, ticks, lice), rat-borne mites have received the most attention with a particular emphasis on chiggers, due to their medical importance. More recent studies have examined the distribution of ectoparasites in rats from different habitat type simplicating a high prevalence of zoonotic species infesting rat populations. Despite being capable of transmitting dangerous pathogens to human, the health risks of rat-borne ectoparasites appear to be small with no serious outbreaks of diseases recorded. Although an extensive number of works have been published, there remain gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed, such as, the distribution of under studied ectoparasite groups (listrophorids and myobiids), determining factors influencing infestation, and understanding changes to the population distribution over time.
自20世纪30年代初以来，在马来半岛（现称马来西亚半岛）开展了大量关于鼠类传播的体外寄生虫的研究。大多数研究是对该地区进行实地调查和标本采集，主要目的是对体外寄生虫的宿主分布进行编目并发现新物种。这已经产生了大量信息，特别是关于多样性和宿主分布的信息；其他方面，如形态学、宿主分布和医学意义也得到了研究。在四个主要类别（螨类、跳蚤、蜱类、虱类）中，由于其医学重要性，鼠类传播的螨类受到了最多关注，尤其着重于恙螨。最近的研究调查了不同栖息地类型的大鼠体外寄生虫的分布情况，结果显示鼠群中存在高比例的人畜共患病物种。尽管鼠类传播的体外寄生虫能够将危险病原体传播给人类，但其健康风险似乎较小，没有记录到严重的疾病爆发。尽管已经发表了大量研究成果，但在知识方面仍存在一些需要填补的空白，例如，对研究较少的体外寄生虫类别（软蜱科和肌螨科）的分布、影响感染的决定因素以及了解种群分布随时间的变化情况。
