Rediscovering an old friend: the case of Ixodes dampfi in a protected natural reserve in central Mexico
The tick Ixodes dampfi Cooley 1943, a member of the Pholeoixodes subgenus, was first described from gophers ( Geomys sp.) collected in the state of Mexico. However, information on the origin and parasite-host association of I . dampfi is lacking. Here, new records of the occurrence of this tick spec...
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Published in | Parasitology research (1987) Vol. 120; no. 11; pp. 3899 - 3904 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Berlin/Heidelberg
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
01.11.2021
Springer Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The tick
Ixodes dampfi
Cooley 1943, a member of the
Pholeoixodes
subgenus, was first described from gophers (
Geomys
sp.) collected in the state of Mexico. However, information on the origin and parasite-host association of
I
.
dampfi
is lacking. Here, new records of the occurrence of this tick species were provided nearly 80 years since its original description, in addition to new localities, genetic data, and host-parasite records. A total of four hosts (one
Bassariscus astutus
, two
Didelphis virginiana
, and one
Peromyscus gratus
) from three orders (Carnivora, Didelphimorphia, and Rodentia) were parasitised by seven
I
.
dampfi
females. Sequences of the
16S rDNA
gene from the ticks exhibited a similarity ranging from 97 (389/403 bp) to 100% (403/403 bp), with the unique sequence of
I
.
dampfi
available on GenBank (AF549837). Additionally,
Rickettsia
-specific
16S rDNA
,
htrA
, and
ompA
gene assays generated sequences in four of the seven
I
.
dampfi
specimens (57.14%). Partial sequences revealed 99–100% genetic identities with
Candidatus
Rickettsia angustus (GenBank accession HF935069, HF935072, HF935078) and
Candidatus
Rickettsia kingi (GenBank accession HF935068, HF935071, HF935077) from Canada. Our results represent the first record of this elusive ectoparasite in a natural protected area, which is a triumph for conservation, as accelerated defaunation processes pose the risk of coextinction for many groups of vertebrates and their ectoparasites. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0932-0113 1432-1955 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00436-021-07318-1 |