Centro de Investigaciones Regionales 'Dr. Hideyo Noguchi', Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México.
Laboratorio de Espeleobiología y Acarología, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, Querétaro, México.
J Med Entomol. 2020 Nov 13;57(6):1821-1829. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjaa106.
A faunal study is presented to determine the species of ectoparasites found in the opossum Didelphis virginiana (Kerr) (Marsupialia: Didelphidae). For this, Tomahawk traps were placed in the peridomiciles of a rural town in Yucatán, to capture individuals of this marsupial and proceed to the collection of their ectoparasites. A total of 3,023 arthropods were collected from 145 opossums. The most frequent ectoparasites were the acarines Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) nr. talaje (64.8%) (Argasidae); Ornithonyssus wernecki Fonseca (53.8%) (Macronyssidae) and Didelphilicus serrifer Fain (25.5%) (Atopomelidae); the ticks Amblyomma parvum Aragão (8.3%) and A. mixtum Koch (10.3%) (Ixodidae); and the fleas Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché) (20.7%) and Pulex simulans Baker (8.3%) (Pulicidae). It is concluded that the ectoparasite fauna of this marsupial is mainly composed of euryxenous organisms, which have been documented as vectors of diseases caused by rickettsial bacteria. Since D. virginiana is widely adapted to the peridomiciliary environment in the region, this study allows recognizing those that represent a potential risk for the transmission of vector-borne zoonotic diseases.
本研究旨在确定生活在袋鼬（Didelphis virginiana）（有袋目：袋鼬科）上的外寄生虫种类。为此，在尤卡坦州一个农村城镇的外围栖息地放置了 Tomahawk 陷阱，以捕获这种有袋动物的个体，并对其外寄生虫进行收集。从 145 只袋鼬中总共收集了 3023 只节肢动物。最常见的外寄生虫是螨科的 Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) nr. talaje（64.8%）（蜱螨目）；Macronyssidae 科的 Ornithonyssus wernecki Fonseca（53.8%）和 Atopomelidae 科的 Didelphilicus serrifer Fain（25.5%）；硬蜱科的 Amblyomma parvum Aragão（8.3%）和 A. mixtum Koch（10.3%）（硬蜱目）；以及蚤科的 Ctenocephalides felis（Bouché）（20.7%）和 Pulex simulans Baker（8.3%）（蚤目）。结论是，这种有袋动物的外寄生虫群主要由广生态位生物组成，这些生物已被证明是立克次体细菌引起的疾病的载体。由于 D. virginiana 广泛适应该地区的外围栖息地，因此本研究可以识别那些可能对传播媒介传播的人畜共患病构成潜在风险的寄生虫。
