A method for testing the host specificity of ectoparasites: give them the opportunity to choose

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
• Main Authors: Carlos EL Esbérard, Fernanda Martins-Hatano, Emerson B Bittencourt, David EP Bossi, Angélica Fontes, Marcela Lareschi, Vanderlaine Menezes, Helena G Bergallo, Donald Gettinger
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2005
• Subjects: ectoparasites; host-specificity; experiments; small mammals; neotropics; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Microbiology; QR1-502; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02762005000700015; https://doaj.org/article/8cfa604875c44e3d8c81d03173004d32

Host-choice experiments were carried out with rodent and bat ectoparasites on Ilha Grande, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We constructed experimental chambers that enclosed three different rodent or bat host species, and then introduced a selected set of ectoparasitic arthropods. When given the opportunity to choose among host species, the ectoparasites showed a strong tendency to select their primary hosts, and reject novel host species. These kinds of simple experiments can be valuable tools for assessing the ability of ectoparasites to locate and discern differences between host species, and make choices about which hosts to infest, and which hosts to avoid.