Helminth communities of sigmonontine rodents in cocoa agroforestry systems in Brazil

Publication date: Available online 18 December 2019Source: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and WildlifeAuthor(s): Maíra G. Kersul, Natália A. Costa, Raquel G. Boullosa, Adna A.S. Silva, Élson O. Rios, Alexandre D. Munhoz, Beatriz E. Andrade-Silva, Arnaldo Maldonado, Rosana Gentile, Martin R. AlvarezAbstractAgroforestry is an alternative kind of land use where the native vegetation is surrounded or intercalated by crops of economic interest. This system may maintain species richness by promoting the habitat heterogeneity or serving as ecological corridors. The aim of this study was to describe the gastrointestinal helminth fauna and to analyse the parasitological parameters of the helminth communities of six sigmodontine rodents in a cocoa agroforestry system in the municipality of Ilhéus, state of Bahia, Northeast Brazil. This is a novel study of helminth fauna in this kind of agroforestry. Rodents were captured in live-traps and euthanised for helminth recovery. Specimens were counted and identified to the species level whenever possible. Helminth abundance, intensity, and prevalence were calculated for each species and each host. The total abundance and prevalence of helminths were compared among localities and three attributes of the host: species, gender and age using generalised linear models. Considering all rodents, 52.14% of them were parasitized with at least one helminth species. Eight nematode species were identified and another seven morphosp...
Source: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research