Chigger mite (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) infestation in reed passerine birds in Central Europe: a case of the bearded tit Panurus biarmicus

0566516 - ÚBO 2024 RIV GB eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Trnka, A. - Samaš, Peter - Makol, J.
Chigger mite (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) infestation in reed passerine birds in Central Europe: a case of the bearded tit Panurus biarmicus.
Parasitology. Roč. 150, č. 2 (2023), s. 212-220. ISSN 0031-1820. E-ISSN 1469-8161
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68081766
Klíčová slova: avian host * barcoding * morphology * parasite * Parasitengona * prevalence
Obor OECD: Zoology
Impakt faktor: 2.4, rok: 2022
Způsob publikování: Open access
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/parasitology/article/chigger-mite-acariformes-trombiculidae-infestation-in-reed-passerine-birds-in-central-europe-a-case-of-the-bearded-tit-panurus-biarmicus/9E186F57A419B5BC5D0591C4AC492E2C

Larval trombiculid (chigger) mites are common ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates including humans, causing itching and skin inflammation known as trombiculiasis. Investigating their diversity, distribution, and seasonal abundance is therefore important from a veterinary and public health point of view. Although researchers have paid increased attention to these parasites in recent years, there is still little ecological data available on chiggers associated with birds inhabiting different types of habitats such as wetlands, for example. In 2021, we investigated the mite fauna in a specialist reedbed passerine, the bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus), and their effects on this host in the south-west Slovakia, Central Europe. A total of 1134 larvae of one mite species Blankaartia acuscutellaris were found in 99 out of 267 examined bearded tits. Juveniles were more infested than adult birds, but no differences were found between sexes. The larvae of mites first appeared on the host during the second half of June and peaked in the second half of July. After that, their numbers decreased gradually until October. Despite the relatively high prevalence and intensity of mite infestation in the bearded tit, no differences in body condition between infested and uninfested birds suggest that infestation by B. acuscutellaris may not have serious negative effects on the host health. Bearded tits can therefore be a reliable indicator of the presence of the chigger mites in wetland habitats.
Trvalý link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0337840