Occurrence of the ectoparasitic mite of the genus Ornithonyssus Sambon, 1928 (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae) as a potential vector of zoonotic diseases in sigmodontinal rodents (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) of the Andean region, Peru

• Autores: Yauris S., Carla, Rengifo M., Edgardo, Minaya, David, Iannacone, José
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2025
• Institución: Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal
• Repositorio: Revistas - Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs2.revistas.unfv.edu.pe:article/1932
• Enlace del recurso: https://revistas.unfv.edu.pe/NH/article/view/1932
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: mites; ectoparasites; Macronyssidae; rodents; ácaros; ectoparásitos; roedores

Mites of the Macronyssidae family (Oudemans, 1936) are ectoparasites of reptiles, birds, and mammals, especially bats and rodents. Despite being a family of zoonotic and veterinary importance, their study has not been addressed in some areas of Peru. Therefore, this research focused on the search for mites of the Macronyssidae family in Ancash. Rodents were captured in three districts: Huari, Huachis, and San Marcos, in the department of Ancash, using Sherman traps. The ectoparasites were manually extracted with entomological forceps, collected in 70% ethyl alcohol, and transported to the laboratory. For taxonomic identification, adult female Macronyssidae mites were selected, rinsed with lactophenol, and mounted on Hoyer's medium. Identification was based on morphological characteristics according to specialized references. A total of 118 rodents were captured, distributed across seven species, with Akodon mollis Thomas, 1894, being the most abundant rodent (82.2%) of the entire sample. Ornithonyssus sp. were found primarily on A. mollis in Huari and San Marcos, and in lesser numbers on Microryzomys altissimus (Osgood, 1933) in Huachis. All mites collected were female, with two protonymphs present.