Macronissid mites (Acari: Macronyssidae) of bats of the Brazilian Southern and Southeastern regions: morphological studies and investigation of the presence of Rickettsia

• Grant number: 22/08620-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: April 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Bassini Silva
• Grantee: Victor de Souza Mello Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among the mites of veterinary importance, the family Macronyssidae is very little studied, with some species being possible causes of serious diseases, and possible participants in the epidemiological chain of pathogens. So far, there are 26 species of this family reported in Brazil, 15 of which were collected parasitizing bats. Although the importance of these mites as potential vectors in the epidemiological cycle of pathogens has already been commented by some authors of the last century, the role of these mites in the epidemiology of pathogens has not yet been confirmed. Thus, the present work proposes a detailed study of the identification of these mites deposited in acarological collections, and concomitantly, the material from tissue banks for the South and Southeast regions of Brazil. This material will be examined and subjected to DNA extraction, as well as the investigation of the presence of pathogens of the Rickettsia genus in the investigated mites by means of conventional PCR assays and phylogenetic analyses. Thus, our proposal includes the study of these mites for the South and Southeast of Brazil, focusing on specimens collected parasitizing bats, given that the mites of this family can bite humans, and show signs of being possible vectors of pathogens.