Ticks of Wild Birds at Sites with Different Land Uses at Campeche, Mexico

摘要

Ticks of the family lxodidae are potential transmitters of pathogens to vertebrates, including birds that because of their mobility are important hosts and dispersers of ticks. Knowing the interactions can help identify potential emerging sites of tick-borne diseases. Abundance of ticks were assessed on birds captured between February and June 2017 at four sites with different land use in the Calakmul region. Ticks from the captured birds were stored individually in 70% ethanol in tubes for later identification using a stereoscope and taxonomic keys. Of 406 birds captured in 82 species, 2.7% were parasitized by ticks, mostly nymphs and larvae of Amblyomma spp. Only the Passeriformes order was parasitized, most parasitized birds were resident species. The higher number of parasitized individuals was found in the forestry successional vegetation. In total 14 ticks of the family lxodidae were collected. This is the first study we know that analyzed the abundance of ticks on wild birds in Mexico, and new hosts of ticks of the genus Amblyomma spp. were reported.