Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae)
Although 12 soft tick species (Argasidae) are native to Australia, the ecology of most is poorly known. Argas dewae parasitizes several insectivorous bat species and has been recorded on humans. Therefore, understanding its ecology is crucial for wildlife health management and public health prepared...
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Cambridge University Press
2024-08-01
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| Series: | Parasitology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0031182024000817/type/journal_article |
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| author | Lisa Godinho Emile van Lieshout Stephen Griffiths Mackenzie L. Kwak Ala Tabor |
| author_facet | Lisa Godinho Emile van Lieshout Stephen Griffiths Mackenzie L. Kwak Ala Tabor |
| author_sort | Lisa Godinho |
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| description | Although 12 soft tick species (Argasidae) are native to Australia, the ecology of most is poorly known. Argas dewae parasitizes several insectivorous bat species and has been recorded on humans. Therefore, understanding its ecology is crucial for wildlife health management and public health preparedness. To address this knowledge gap, A. dewae populations were monitored from 2 bat hosts (Chalinolobus gouldii and Austronomus australis) using bat boxes at 3 sites in Victoria, Australia, for 28 months (July 2005–December 2007). A phenological profile undertaken for A. dewae revealed that tick load on bat hosts increased throughout winter and peaked in the first month of spring, before collapsing and remaining low throughout the drier late spring and summer periods. There was also further investigation of the relationship between 2 response variables (tick infestation risk and tick load) and a range of explanatory variables (body condition index, sex, age class, bioseason, site, bat density per nest box). In C. gouldii, site was the only significant predictor of A. dewae infestation risk, while load was correlated with several variables including age class, sex, bioseason, roost density and body condition index. This paper also reports the first records of A. dewae from 6 bat species in 3 bat families (Miniopteridae: Miniopterus australis; Molossidae: A. australis; Vespertilionidae: Chalinolobus morio, Myotis Macropus, Vespadelus darlingtonia, Vespadelus regulus) and a second record of A. dewae from a human. The first distribution records are presented for A. dewae in South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8151819fd18d482f8c907e0c5ad87666 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0031-1820 1469-8161 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-08-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
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| series | Parasitology |
| spelling | doaj-art-8151819fd18d482f8c907e0c5ad876662025-01-23T07:11:40ZengCambridge University PressParasitology0031-18201469-81612024-08-011511035104410.1017/S0031182024000817Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae)Lisa Godinho0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5046-9534Emile van Lieshout1Stephen Griffiths2Mackenzie L. Kwak3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7672-9672Ala TaborSchool of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaSchool of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaDepartment of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, JapanAlthough 12 soft tick species (Argasidae) are native to Australia, the ecology of most is poorly known. Argas dewae parasitizes several insectivorous bat species and has been recorded on humans. Therefore, understanding its ecology is crucial for wildlife health management and public health preparedness. To address this knowledge gap, A. dewae populations were monitored from 2 bat hosts (Chalinolobus gouldii and Austronomus australis) using bat boxes at 3 sites in Victoria, Australia, for 28 months (July 2005–December 2007). A phenological profile undertaken for A. dewae revealed that tick load on bat hosts increased throughout winter and peaked in the first month of spring, before collapsing and remaining low throughout the drier late spring and summer periods. There was also further investigation of the relationship between 2 response variables (tick infestation risk and tick load) and a range of explanatory variables (body condition index, sex, age class, bioseason, site, bat density per nest box). In C. gouldii, site was the only significant predictor of A. dewae infestation risk, while load was correlated with several variables including age class, sex, bioseason, roost density and body condition index. This paper also reports the first records of A. dewae from 6 bat species in 3 bat families (Miniopteridae: Miniopterus australis; Molossidae: A. australis; Vespertilionidae: Chalinolobus morio, Myotis Macropus, Vespadelus darlingtonia, Vespadelus regulus) and a second record of A. dewae from a human. The first distribution records are presented for A. dewae in South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0031182024000817/type/journal_articleArgasAustraliachiropteramicrobatparasitetickurban |
| spellingShingle | Lisa Godinho Emile van Lieshout Stephen Griffiths Mackenzie L. Kwak Ala Tabor Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae) Parasitology Argas Australia chiroptera microbat parasite tick urban |
| title | Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae) |
| title_full | Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae) |
| title_fullStr | Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae) |
| title_short | Ecology and phenology of the bat tick Argas (Carios) dewae (Acari: Argasidae) |
| title_sort | ecology and phenology of the bat tick argas carios dewae acari argasidae |
| topic | Argas Australia chiroptera microbat parasite tick urban |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0031182024000817/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lisagodinho ecologyandphenologyofthebattickargascariosdewaeacariargasidae AT emilevanlieshout ecologyandphenologyofthebattickargascariosdewaeacariargasidae AT stephengriffiths ecologyandphenologyofthebattickargascariosdewaeacariargasidae AT mackenzielkwak ecologyandphenologyofthebattickargascariosdewaeacariargasidae AT alatabor ecologyandphenologyofthebattickargascariosdewaeacariargasidae |