ANAIS 2014

ECTOPARASITES ASSOCIATED WITH RURAL DOGS IN BOTUCATU, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL. Autor(es): Larissa de Castro Demoner, Maria Regina Lucas da Silva, Natalia Mizuhira Magro, Lucia Helena O’Dwyer

ECTOPARASITES ASSOCIATED WITH RURAL DOGS IN BOTUCATU, SãO PAULO, BRAZIL.

» Á�rea de pesquisa: ACAROLOGIA

» Instituição: Unesp-Botucatu

» Agência de fomento e patrocinadores: Fapesp (2012/09715-0; 2012/25197-9)

Ectoparasites associated with rural dogs in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Larissa de Castro Demoner1, Maria Regina Lucas da Silva1 , Natalia Mizuhira Magro1, Lucia Helena O’Dwyer1 1Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Parasitologia, Botucatu, SP, Brasil. larissademoner@hotmail.com Ectoparasites are one of the major constraints to the health of domestic dogs worldwide. Identifying ectoparasites and understanding their distribution are fundamental for designing control programs and strategies. Despite that, knowledge about ectoparasites infesting dogs from rural areas in some Brazilian regions is limited. Within this context, one hundred fifty-six dogs from rural areas of São Paulo state, Brazil, were examined for ectoparasite infestations from February 2013 to August 2013. Overall, 80 (51,2%) were infested with ectoparasites. A total number of 308 ectoparasites was found, and the arthropod ectoparasite fauna of the dogs included five tick species (Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus microplus, Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma ovale and Amblyomma brasiliense) and one flea species (Ctenocephalides felis felis). Rates of infestation were 83,4% for C felis felis, 9% for R. sanguineus, 3,8% for A. cajennense, 2,59% for A. ovale, 0,64% for R. microplus and 0,32% for A. brasiliense. Mixed infestation with two or three species of ectoparasites was recorded on 18,75% of the dogs. In Brazil, C. felis felis is the most common Canidae flea, and it has been found in both urban and rural areas. Furthermore, dogs from rural areas, with unrestricted movement and possible sharing of environment with other domestic and wild hosts, are infested by different ticks, particularly species of Amblyomma. Further studies are needed to evaluate canine vector-borne agents in rural areas of Botucatu, especially because most of the ectoparasites here reported are vectors of major vector-borne diseases. Key-words: rural areas; flea; ticks; dogs