Unusual parasitism site of Dermacentor nitens (Acari: Ixodidae) on a horse

ABSTRACT: Dermacentor nitens Neumann is the most common tick species infesting horses in the main Brazilian biomes. It has a predilection to attach to horse the ears, the nasal diverticulum, perineal and perianal regions. The infestations can generate severe damage in the ears, anemia, and the tick also acts as vector of Babesia caballi (Nuttall and Strickland), the causative agent of equine babesiosis. Our study describes unusual parasitism site of D. nitens on a female cross breed horse, approximately ten years old that presented high parasitism by ticks on the perineal and perianal region, ears, and the left eye orbit region, where an enucleation process had been performed a few years earlier. To our knowledge this is the first report of D. nitens parasitism on a formerly enucleated eye orbit.

摘要：亮扇头蜱（Dermacentor nitens Neumann）是巴西主要生物群落中侵袭马匹的最常见蜱虫物种，其偏好寄生于马的耳部、鼻憩室、会阴及肛周区域。该蜱虫侵袭可造成耳部严重损伤、贫血，同时还可作为马巴贝斯虫（Babesia caballi (Nuttall and Strickland)）的传播媒介，该原虫为马梨形虫病的致病病原。本研究报道了1匹约10岁雌性混血马的亮扇头蜱异常寄生病例：该马的会阴、肛周区域、耳部，以及数年前曾接受眼球摘除术的左侧眼眶区域均出现重度蜱虫寄生。据我们所知，这是首次关于亮扇头蜱寄生于既往摘除的眼眶区域的病例报告。