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Effects of sex and locality on the abundance of lice on the wild rodent Oligoryzomys nigripes

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Abstract

Various factors can affect the parasite distribution on a host. In this study, the influence of sex, body size, and locality of a rodent host, Oligoryzomys nigripes, on lice abundance was investigated. A generalized linear model indicated that the sex and locality of O. nigripes significantly contributed to the variation in lice abundance on the host. The male bias of lice parasitizing the rodent host O. nigripes may be associated with intersexual differences in physiology and behavior, while locality differences in lice abundance may be associated with differences in host density and diversity between the two localities sampled. Studies of host–parasite associations improve the understanding of the ecology of infectious diseases, as well as the evolution of these host–parasite interactions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Pedro Marcos Linardi and his team from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais for lice identification. Fieldwork depended on the authorization and support of the Mogi Guaçu Experimental Station and Itirapina Experimental Station. Fernanda Rodrigues Fernandes and Leonardo Dominici Cruz were financially supported by a scholarship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). This research was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, Brazil: 56231-2008/2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituo de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Fernanda Rodrigues Fernandes

  2. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil

    Leonardo Dominici Cruz

  3. Campus de São Bernardo, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Rua Projetada s/n–Perímetro Urbano, 65550-000, São Bernardo, Maranhão, Brazil

    Fernanda Rodrigues Fernandes & Leonardo Dominici Cruz

  4. Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Arício Xavier Linhares

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  1. Fernanda Rodrigues Fernandes
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Correspondence to Fernanda Rodrigues Fernandes.

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Fernandes, F.R., Cruz, L.D. & Linhares, A.X. Effects of sex and locality on the abundance of lice on the wild rodent Oligoryzomys nigripes . Parasitol Res 111, 1701–1706 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-012-3009-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-012-3009-4

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