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Ectoparasitic community of the Mahali mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus mahali : potential host for vectors of medical importance in South Africa

dc.contributor.authorFagir, Dina M.
dc.contributor.authorBennett, Nigel Charles
dc.contributor.authorUeckermann, Eddie A.
dc.contributor.authorHart, Daniel William
dc.contributor.authorHoward, Alexandra
dc.contributor.emaildmfagir@zoology.up.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-02-16T12:29:57Z
dc.date.available2022-02-16T12:29:57Z
dc.date.issued2021-01
dc.description.abstractBACKGROUND: The endemic rodent family of Bathyergidae in Africa, particularly South Africa, are understudied as reservoirs of diseases of signifcant medical importance. Considering the diversity and wide distribution of African mole-rats in South Africa, many of these bathyergids could act as carriers of zoonoses. METHODS: The present study assessed the ectoparasite community of the Mahali mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus mahali). We aimed to identify possible parasitic arthropods that may infest this mole-rat species and explore host preference, contributions of seasonality, host sex and body mass as well as social class and colony size on ectoparasite assemblage prevalence and abundance. RESULTS: A limited number of ectoparasite species were found on C. h. mahali belonging to two signifcant taxa: mites (Acari) and feas, with mites being the most prevalent and abundant. We recorded the presence of X. philoxera, a fea well known as the principal reservoir of plague in the southern African region on the Mahali mole-rats. Only three mite species were collected: Androlaelaps scapularis, Androlaelaps capensis and Laelaps liberiensis. Seasonal peaks in prevalence and abundance of X. philoxera and A. scapularis were observed during summer. Xenopsylla philoxera abundance and A. scapularis loads signifcantly increased on reproductive mole-rat individuals in comparison to nonreproductive individuals. CONCLUSION: Despite the wide distribution of the subterranean African mole-rats, studies investigating their parasitic fauna remain limited and scarce. This dearth in knowledge raises the concern regarding their potential role as an endemic reservoir for zoonotic diseases. Consequently, additional sampling of their ectoparasitic community throughout their distributional range and research addressing their role as a reservoir for zoonotic diseases in southern Africa are urgently needed.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentZoology and Entomologyen_ZA
dc.description.librarianpm2022en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipSARChI chair of Mammalian Behavioural Ecology and Physiology from the DST-NRF South Africa; National Research Foundation and University of Pretoria, South Africa.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.comen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationFagir, D.M., Bennett, N.C., Ueckermann, E.A. et al. Ectoparasitic community of the Mahali mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus mahali: potential host for vectors of medical importance in South Africa. Parasites Vectors 14, 24 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04537-w.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1756-3305 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1186/s13071-020-04537-w
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/83993
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherBMCen_ZA
dc.rights© The Author(s) 2021. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.en_ZA
dc.subjectCryptomysen_ZA
dc.subjectEctoparasitesen_ZA
dc.subjectSeasonalityen_ZA
dc.subjectFleasen_ZA
dc.subjectXenopsyllaen_ZA
dc.subjectAndrolaelapid mitesen_ZA
dc.subjectZoonotic diseasesen_ZA
dc.subjectMahali mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus mahali)en_ZA
dc.titleEctoparasitic community of the Mahali mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus mahali : potential host for vectors of medical importance in South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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