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(a) Map of Las Cruces, NM and surrounding wildlands (modified from Hurtado & Mabry, 2017). Circles are the 500 m buffers around trapping sites that were used to create the urbanization index, squares the 100 m by 100 m trapping sites. Cross‐hatched buffers are urban areas and non‐shaded buffers are wildland areas. Examples of urban (b) and wildland (c) trapping sites
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Abstract Urban development can fragment and degrade remnant habitat. Such habitat alterations can have profound impacts on wildlife, including effects on population density, parasite infection status, parasite prevalence, and body condition. We investigated the influence of urbanization on populations of Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami)...
Citations
... With greater host density in residential areas, there is a greater chance of transmission of generalist parasite species within the same host species population. Multiple papers, however, have reported contradicting results but have noted the possible impact of rodent assemblages and community structure in the habitat sampled (Hurtado et al., 2021;Palmeirim et al., 2014;Werner et al., 2020). This study also attempted to associate the occurrence of parasites with the morphometric characteristics of the hosts. ...
The continuous challenges of land use change have brought potential threats to biodiversity and the spread of zoonotic diseases. In this study, synanthropic rodents and their helminth parasites were used as sentinels to assess the potential impact of land use on zoonosis. Rats were collected in different ecosystems, namely agricultural, agroforest, and residential areas in the northeastern sub-watersheds of Mount Makiling, Laguna, Philippines. Three (3) species of rats were captured, namely, Rattus tanezumi, Rattus norvegicus, and Rattus exulans . Of the total 180 rats collected, 92.7 % were found infected with helminth parasites, namely Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana, Taenia pisiformis, and Strobilocercus fasciolaris (cestodes); Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis , Strongyloides ratti, Capillaria hepatica, Trichuris muris , and Rictularia sp. (nematodes); and Echinostoma ilocanum (trematode). Of these 11 species, nine (9) were considered zoonotic. This study provides important information on the helminth parasites of rats in the northeastern sub-watersheds of Mount Makiling and the potential threat of zoonotic transmission due to increasing land use change and urbanization in the area. Moreover, urbanization can provide favorable eco-epidemiological conditions for rodent-borne pathogens, such as parasites, that are seriously threatening agricultural settings and human settlements in these areas.
... Precipitation and climate change are important factors as well, with reduced precipitation increasing the number of fleas on prairie dogs (Eads and Hoogland 2017). Habitat type (Manzoli et al. 2013) and other characteristics such as geographical area and urbanization (Decker et al. 2001;Mutz 2010;Hurtado et al. 2021) are all important factors in ectoparasite presence. Host characteristics such as sex and body mass (Mysterud et al. 2015) have all been proposed to play an important role in determining parasite presence and distribution. ...
Rodent ectoparasites are vectors for important pathogens of wildlife, domestic animals, and even zoonosis. Nevertheless, distribution patterns of ectoparasites are not fully understood; habitat, season, and host species are important predictors of distribution and prevalence. Heteromyid rodents are considered important reservoirs of diseases, given the presence of different ectoparasites and pathogens in them, and they offer the opportunity to learn about the ecology of parasites. The aim of the present work was to survey ectoparasites associated with heteromyid rodents near a National Protected Area in Chihuahua Mexico, south of the USA-Mexico border, and asses the effects of ecological factors (season, vegetation type, host species, and host body condition) on parasite infestation. We sampled five different locations from January 2018 to July 2022; 845 heteromyid rodents were examined and 49 fleas and 33 ticks were collected. Ectoparasites belonged to the Siphonaptera and Ixodida orders, including three families Ixodidae (Riphicephalus sanguineus), Pulicidae (Pulex irritans), and Ctenophthalmidae (Meringins altipecten, M. dipodomys). Five species of host rodents were captured, Dipodomys merriami, D. ordii, Chaetodipus eremicus, C. hispidus, and C. intermedius, but the last two species did not present any ectoparasites. Dipodomys merriami presented the highest flea and tick prevalence followed by D. ordii. We found parasitic partnerships between heteromyids according to ecological factors. The infestation in C. eremicus was related to body condition, vegetation type, and sex; in D. merriami, it was related to vegetation type and season, while D. ordii did not present a clear pattern of infestation. Our results suggest that the infestation patterns of heteromyid rodents in desert habitats are species dependent.
... In addition, seven studies (30%) displayed varied results of helminth infections in small mammals inhabiting altered habitats, in which prevalence rates of some species increased while others decreased, showing no patterns regarding parasite species life cycles and the effect of habitat alteration (Wells et al. 2007;Froeschke and Matthee 2014;Rakotoniaina et al. 2016;Helenbrook et al. 2017;Anders et al. 2019;Kiene et al. 2021;Sáez-Durán et al. 2021). Five reports (22%) did not found any correlation between infection prevalence and habitat quality (Martínez-Mota et al. 2018;Cardoso et al. 2019;Barelli et al. 2021;Hurtado et al. 2021;Riquelme et al. 2021). Odds ratios of the infection risk per helminth species in small mammals in altered and non-altered are shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, in accordance with types of life cycles, based on data retrieved from identified studies. ...
... Host factors Nine (39%) studies investigated any host condition in relation to helminth infections and habitat alteration. In this sense, body condition was evaluated with different metrics, which included volumetric measurements of body and weight (Wells et al. 2007;Froeschke and Matthee 2014;Anders et al. 2019), the regression of body mass on foot length (Santicchia et al. 2015;Hurtado et al. 2021), and the scaled mass index (SMI) (Kiene et al. 2021). In the USA, a rodent species Dipodomys merriami exhibited a lower body condition in parasitized individuals living in natural settings (Hurtado et al. 2021). ...
... In this sense, body condition was evaluated with different metrics, which included volumetric measurements of body and weight (Wells et al. 2007;Froeschke and Matthee 2014;Anders et al. 2019), the regression of body mass on foot length (Santicchia et al. 2015;Hurtado et al. 2021), and the scaled mass index (SMI) (Kiene et al. 2021). In the USA, a rodent species Dipodomys merriami exhibited a lower body condition in parasitized individuals living in natural settings (Hurtado et al. 2021). In addition, four studies reported a positive relationship between body condition (e.g., weight, length, or SMI) and the prevalence or abundance of certain helminth species regardless the type of habitat in which hosts live (Wells et al. 2007;Froeschke and Matthee 2014;Anders et al. 2019;Kiene et al. 2021). ...
Despite the extensive information on the effects of habitat alteration on the structure of helminth communities in small mammals, the evidence is still inconclusive. A systematic review was carried out using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) guideline to compile and synthesize available literature on the influence of habitat alteration on the structure of helminth communities in small mammals. The aim of this review was to describe the variation in infection rates of helminth species associated with habitat alteration and to discuss the theoretical framework that may explain such changes in relation to parasite, host, and environmental features. Twenty-three scientific articles published between 2005 and 2022 were reviewed, 22 of which investigated parasite prevalence, 10 parasite burden, and 14 parasite richness in both altered and natural habitats. Information in assessed articles suggests that the structure of helminth communities in small mammals can be impacted by anthropogenic habitat alteration in various ways. Infection rates of monoxenous and heteroxenous helminths may increase or decrease in small mammals depending on whether their hosts (definitive and intermediate) are available, and environmental and host conditions modify the survival and transmission of parasitic forms. Also, given that habitat alteration may favor inter-species contacts, transmission rates of low host-specific helminths could be increased due to exposure to new reservoir hosts. In a continually changing world, it is essential to assess the spatio-temporal variations of helminth communities in wildlife inhabiting altered and natural habitats to determine potential impacts on wildlife conservation and public health.
... and Giardia spp. (Wells et al., 2007;Perec-Matysiak et al., 2015;Fantozzi et al., 2018;Hurtado et al., 2021;Sáez-Durán et al., 2021). Gastrointestinal helminths and protozoal infections can affect survival and reproduction directly by pathological effects (e.g., blood loss, tissue damage) and indirectly through reduction of host condition (e.g., malabsorption of nutrients, predator escape, energetic costs) (Lyles & Dobson, 1993;Scantlebury et al., 2007;Taylor et al., 2016). ...
Gastrointestinal parasites are well-documented in small mammals from north-central Chile, but little is known about endoparasites of rodents in southern Chile. A survey was conducted between January and February 2018 to evaluate gastrointestinal parasites and risk factors of wild rodents that live in rural areas in Northern Chiloé Island, Chile. A total of 174 fecal samples from rodents of six native and one introduced species were collected and examined using the Mini-FLOTAC method. Also, 41 individuals of four native wild rodent species were examined furtherly to determinate adult parasites from gastrointestinal tracts. The overall prevalence of endoparasites was 89.65% (156). Helminth egg types included: Rodentolepis spp., Capillariidae, Trichuris sp., Syphacia sp., oxyurid-type eggs, Strongyloides sp., Spirurid-type eggs, Strongilid-type eggs, Moniliformis sp., and an unidentified nematode egg and larvae. Protozoa comprised coccidia, amoeba, and unidentified cysts. From necropsies, adult parasites involved Syphacia sp. Trichuris sp., Protospirura sp. and Physaloptera sp. In Abrothrix olivacea, individuals with low-body-mass index exhibited reduced infection probability for Spirurid-type and Strongilid-type eggs. Some parasites in this study may affect human health. In rural settings where environmental conditions are changing, more research should be undertaken to understand parasitic infections in wildlife and implications for public health and conservation.
Rodent ectoparasites are vectors to important pathogens for wildlife, domestic animals and even zoonosis. Nevertheless, distribution patterns of ectoparasites are not fully understood; habitat, season, and host-species are important predictors on distribution and prevalence. Heteromyids rodents are considered important reservoirs of diseases, given the presence of different ectoparasites and pathogens in them, they offer the opportunity to learn about the ecology of parasites. The aim of the present work was to survey ectoparasites associated to heteromyids rodents near to a National Protected Area in Chihuahua Mexico, south of the United States-Mexico border and asses the effect of ecological factors (season, vegetation type, host species, and host body condition) on parasite infestation. We sampled five different locations from January 2018 to July 2022; 845 heteromyid rodents were examined collecting 49 fleas and 33 ticks. Ectoparasites belonged to Siphonaptera and Ixodida orders, including three families Ixodidae ( Riphicephalus sanguineus ), Pulicidae ( Pulex irritans ), and Ctenophthalmidae ( Meringins altipecten , M. dipodomys ). Five species of host rodents were captured, Dipodomys merriami, D. ordii, Chaetodipus eremicus , C. hispidus and C. intermedius the last two species did not present any ectoparasites. Dipodomys merriami presented the highest flea and tick prevalence followed by D. ordii . We found parasitic partnerships between heteromyids according to the ecological factors. The infestation in C. eremicus is related to body condition, vegetation type, and sex; in D. merriami , it is related to vegetation type and season, while D. ordii did not present a clear pattern of infestation. Our results suggest that the infestation patterns of heteromyid rodents in desert habitats are species-dependent.
