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Life cycle of Amblyomma mixtum (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitizing different hosts under laboratory conditions

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Abstract

Amblyomma mixtum is a tick species in the Amblyomma cajennense complex. The known geographic range of A. mixtum extends from Texas in the USA to western Ecuador and some islands in the Caribbean. Amblyomma mixtum is a vector of disease agents of veterinary and public health importance. The objective of this study was to describe the life cycle of A. mixtum under laboratory conditions. Bovines, rabbits and sheep were infested with larvae, nymphs, and adult ticks under controlled conditions to assess several biological parameters. Eggs, larvae, nymphs and adults were kept in an incubator (27 °C temperature and 80% relative humidity) when they were off the host. The average life cycle of A. mixtum was 88 and 79 days when fed on rabbits and cattle, respectively. Sheep were found to be unsuitable because no ticks attached. The rabbit is a more practical host to maintain a colony of A. mixtum under laboratory conditions. The data from this study can be considered as an example for the life cycle of A. mixtum. However, caution must be exercised when making comparisons to the biology of A. mixtum in its natural habitat.

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Acknowledgements

To the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (Fundect, MS) - Governo do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agricolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP-Mexico), and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) for financial support of the project, USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pós-Graduação em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias - Faculdade de Medicina, UFMS - Universidade Federal Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil

    Francisco Tobias Barradas Piña, Vinicius da Silva Rodrigues & Leandro de Oliveira Souza Higa

  2. Laboratório de Biologia do Carrapato, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil

    Francisco Tobias Barradas Piña, Vinicius da Silva Rodrigues & Leandro de Oliveira Souza Higa

  3. Laboratório de Biologia do Carrapato, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil

    Marcos Valério Garcia

  4. Bolsista DCR Fundect, MS – Governo do estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil

    Marcos Valério Garcia

  5. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Avenida Rádio Maia, 830, Campo Grande, MS, CEP 79106-550, Brazil

    Jacqueline Cavalcante Barros & Renato Andreotti

  6. USDA-ARS, Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, and Veterinary Pest Genomics Center, Kerrville, TX, USA

    Adalberto Angel Pérez de León

  7. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agricolas y Pecuarias INIFAP, Mexico City, Mexico

    Francisco Tobias Barradas Piña

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  1. Francisco Tobias Barradas Piña
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  2. Vinicius da Silva Rodrigues
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  3. Leandro de Oliveira Souza Higa
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  4. Marcos Valério Garcia
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Correspondence to Renato Andreotti.

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Piña, F.T.B., da Silva Rodrigues, V., de Oliveira Souza Higa, L. et al. Life cycle of Amblyomma mixtum (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitizing different hosts under laboratory conditions. Exp Appl Acarol 73, 257–267 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-017-0178-y

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