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Diversity of the helminth community of the Pampean grassland mouse (Akodon azarae) on poultry farms in central Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2011

M.H. Miño ,
E.J. Rojas Herrera ,
J. Notarnicola ,
M. del R. Robles  and
G.T. Navone
M.H. Miño*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II, 4to piso, C1428EGABuenos Aires, Argentina
E.J. Rojas Herrera
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II, 4to piso, C1428EGABuenos Aires, Argentina
J. Notarnicola
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores CEPAVE (CCT La Plata, CONICET) (UNLP), Calle 2 N° 584, 1900La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
M. del R. Robles
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores CEPAVE (CCT La Plata, CONICET) (UNLP), Calle 2 N° 584, 1900La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
G.T. Navone
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores CEPAVE (CCT La Plata, CONICET) (UNLP), Calle 2 N° 584, 1900La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
*
*Fax: +54 011 4576 3354 E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper describes the helminth community of the Pampean grassland mouse (Akodon azarae) inhabiting poultry farms in central Argentina. Winter diversity (season of high rodent abundance) has been compared to spring diversity (season of low rodent abundance). Species richness was seven in both seasons: five nematodes (Syphacia carlitosi, Stilestrongylus spp., Trichuris laevitestis, Pterygodermatites (Paucipectines) azarai and Protospirura numidica criceticola) and two cestodes (adults of Cyclophyllidea and Taenia taeniaeformis hepatic cysts). No difference in richness was detected between host sexes in each season or among host age classes. However, the helminth community showed 67% similarity between winter and spring, with diversity being significantly higher in spring (H = 0.873) than in winter (H = 0.546; P < 0.0005). This could be attributed to different factors, such as host abundance, host diet or environmental factors, that affect the transmission of each species differently. On the other hand, Stilestrongylus spp. and S. carlitosi showed higher dominance and intensity in both seasons compared to their cohabiting species, P. (P.) azarai and T. laevitestis, respectively. The lower values of the latter two species may be related to a crowding effect due to their large body sizes. This is the first report of cestodes in A. azarae. The finding of T. taeniaeformis strobilocerci could be important in the epidemiology of parasitosis in domestic animals of the farms.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 86 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 46 - 53
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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