Biologia do Amblyomma parvum, Aragão 1908 (Acari: Ixodidae) utilizando-se diferentes hospedeiros em condições de laboratório

Abstract

Ticks are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites and are thus infectious disease vectors for both humans and animals. To understand the epidemiology of tick-borne infectious diseases it is essential to know the life cycle of ticks. Amblyomma parvum is a Neotropical tick and its life cycle is poorly understood. In this work the biology of A. parvum is described when fed on several potential and domestic hosts (chicken, dog, rabbit, horse, guinea pig, cattle and goat). The complete life cycle of the tick varied from 97 to 102 days. Highest engorgement weight of larvae was obtained of ticks fed on horses and nymphs on guinea pigs. Highest larval yield were obtained from guinea pigs and that of nymphs from horses. Mean molting rate varied from 58,4% in goats to 100% in dogs. Engorged female and egg mass weights, yield and conversion of female weight to eggs rates were superior in dog ticks and lowest in goat ticks. The highest egg hatching rate was seen in ticks from dogs (100%) and the lowest in ticks from cattle (48,3%). Overall it was seen that dogs were the best host for adult A. parvum ticks, and guinea pigs for immatures. Horses were also shown to be a good host for all tick stages. It can thus be affirmed that A. parvum is a host generalist tick, and its distribution is probably much more restricted by environmental requirements than by hosts.