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Infestation of urban populations of the N orthern white‐breasted hedgehog, E rinaceus roumanicus , by I xodes spp. ticks in P oland
Author(s) -
DZIEMIAN S.,
MICHALIK J.,
PI ŁACIŃSKA B.,
BIALIK S.,
SIKORA B.,
ZWOLAK R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12065
Subject(s) - erinaceus , biology , ixodes ricinus , ixodes , nymph , tick , zoology , ecology , ixodidae , infestation , tick infestation , veterinary medicine , hedgehog , botany , medicine , biochemistry , gene
Infestation by the nest‐dwelling Ixodes hexagonus L each and the exophilic Ixodes ricinus ( L innaeus) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) on the N orthern white‐breasted hedgehog, Erinaceus roumanicus (Erinaceomorpha: Erinaceidae), was investigated during a 4‐year study in residential areas of the city of P oznań, west‐central P oland. Of 341 hedgehogs, 303 (88.9%) hosted 10 061 Ixodes spp. ticks encompassing all parasitic life stages (larvae, nymphs, females). Ixodes hexagonus accounted for 73% and I. ricinus for 27% of the collected ticks. Male hedgehogs carried significantly higher tick burdens than females. Analyses of seasonal prevalence and abundance of I. hexagonus revealed relatively stable levels of infestation of all parasitic stages, with a modest summer peak in tick abundance noted only on male hosts. By contrast, I. ricinus females and nymphs peaked in spring and declined steadily thereafter in summer and autumn, whereas the less abundant larvae peaked in summer. This is the first longterm study to evaluate the seasonal dynamics of both tick species on populations of wild hedgehogs inhabiting urban residential areas.