Occurence of the Ectoparasites Infesting Rattus rattus and R. norvigicus at El-Menofia Governorate, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Plant Protection Research Institute, A.R.C., Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

The ectoparasites arthropods of rodent infesting animals and human have gained much attention in Egypt. The most important rodents in Egypt are Roof rate, Rattus rattus and Norway rate, Rattus norvegicus.  Parasitological survey of these rodent species in El-Menofia Governorate (different regions) during summer season, 2016 was infested with various species from arthropods such as 6 mite species, 2 tick species and one lice species. The collected mites were Dermanyssus sanguineus (Dermanyssidae), Orithonysus bacoti (Macronyssidae), Haemolaelaps glasgowi, Laelaps nuttalli (Laelapidae); Radfordia sp. and Myobia sp. (Myobiidae). In this study, the ectoparasitic ticks were represented by two species i.e. Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hyalomma dromedarrii (Ixodidae). On the other hand, the ectoparasitic lice on R. rattus and R. norvegicus at El-Menofia Governorate were represented by one species, Polyplax spinulosa (Polyplacidae). The present study showed that the lowest number of trapped rats was 15 rats at El-Bagour district with 71 parasitic mites, 61 lice individuals and 25 tick members but the highest number of trapped rats was recorded at Menouf region (51 rates) infested with 262 different mite numbers, 23 lices and 40 tick individuals. The lowest number of parasitic mites was 69 members at Ashmoun district and the highest lice number was found at Ashmoun (943 lices) but the lowest number was recorded at Menouf (23 lices), while El-Bagour region included the lowest number of ticks (15 individuals) and the highest number was found in Quiesna (125 individuals). The current study indicated that Ashmoun district had the highest number of collected rat ectoparasites (1028 individuals), but the lowest region was El-Bagour, as, it included 147 ectoparasites individuals (mites, lice and ticks).

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