Ectoparasites infesting animals living in close contact with human beings: a real trouble for One Health perspective?

J.C.P Oliveira,A Giannelli,R.S Brito,G.A Carvalho,W.S.M Oliveira,R.A.N Ramos,T.A.R.F Lima

doi:10.1590/1678-4162-12084

Abstract

ABSTRACT The number of domestic animals living with human beings is rapidly increasing in parallel with an enhanced risk of transmission of their parasites and the pathogens they might carry. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of hematophagous arthropods infesting domestic animals from Northeastern Brazil and to remark the implications of their occurrence on the epidemiology and control of selected veterinary and human diseases. From January 2017 to April 2019, ectoparasites infesting domestic cats, dogs and horses were collected for their respective hosts and identified. Overall, ectoparasites were sampled from 86 domestic animals, living in different anthropic settings. A total of 401 specimens (344 ticks and 57 fleas) were collected from different hosts [i.e., 10 (2.49%), 96 (23.94%) and 295 (73.57%) from cats, dogs and horses, respectively]. Two flea (i.e., Ctenocephalides canis and Ctenocephalides felis) and 5 tick species (i.e., Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma sculptum, Dermacentor nitens, Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) were identified. This study provides data on the ectoparasite fauna infesting domestic animals from Northeastern Brazil. The diagnosis and treatment of these parasites should not be underestimated, considering the role that hematophagous arthropods display as vectors of pathogens of medical and veterinary concern.

Highlights

Over the last decades, the number of domestic animals living alongside human beings has undoubtedly increased (Esch and Petersen, 2013)
The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of ectoparasites infesting cats, dogs and horses living alongside humans in an area of North-eastern Brazil and to report on the implications of these findings on the epidemiology of zoonotic ectoparasite
A total of 86 domestic animals (i.e., 8 cats; 22 dogs and 56 horses) infested by ectoparasites and from urban (n = 37) and rural (n = 49) areas were included in this study (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

The number of domestic animals living alongside human beings has undoubtedly increased (Esch and Petersen, 2013). Several vector-borne diseases known to occur only in rural or wild environments (Moraes-Filho, 2017), are diagnosed in urban areas (Gonçalves et al, 2015) as a likely consequence of the high degree of adaptability some ectoparasite species display (Limongi et al, 2013; Kumsa et al, 2019). In this context, anthropic actions, such as animal trading, farming, or transport, have contributed to the expansions of several ectoparasites alongside the vector-borne pathogens they carry (Dantas-Torres and Otranto, 2016)

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