Should the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae be of wider concern for veterinary and medical science?

The poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae is best known as a threat to the laying-hen industry; adversely affecting production and hen health and welfare throughout the globe, both directly and through its role as a disease vector. Nevertheless, D. gallinae is being increasingly implemented in dermatological complaints in non-avian hosts, suggesting that its significance may extend beyond poultry. The main objective of the current work was to review the potential of D. gallinae as a wider veterinary and medical threat. Results demonstrated that, as an avian mite, D. gallinae is unsurprisingly an occasional pest of pet birds. However, research also supports that these mites will feed from a range of other animals including: cats, dogs, rodents, rabbits, horses and man. We conclude that although reported cases of D. gallinae infesting mammals are relatively rare, when coupled with the reported genetic plasticity of this species and evidence of permanent infestations on non-avian hosts, potential for host-expansion may exist. The impact of, and mechanisms and risk factors for such expansion are discussed, and suggestions for further work made. Given the potential severity of any level of host-expansion in D. gallinae, we conclude that further research should be urgently conducted to confirm the full extent of the threat posed by D. gallinae to (non-avian) veterinary and medical sectors

OCCURRENCE OF LICE (ANOPLURA) IN RODENTS FROM LOVER SILESIA

Back ground. The data on the lice of small mammals, which can be the vectors of some human pathogens, are rather scarce in Poland. Material. During 2001-2004 an investigation of the lice of rodents was undertaken in the area of Lover Silesia. The research was concentrated on habitat in Masyw Slezy (about 35 km from Wroclaw, popular recreational area) and on two habitats in Wroctaw: in Osobowice (irrigation fields) and Mokry Dwor (water-bearing ground). 105 rodents belonging to three species: Apodemus agrarius (35), Apodemus flavicolis (30) and Clethrionomys glareolus (40) were examined. Results. On 13 individuals of rodents 68 lice (Anoplura) of 3 species were found: Hoplopleura affinis (Burmeister, 1839) — 21 females and 8 male, H. acanthopus (Burmeister, 1839) — 2 females and Polyplax serrata (Burmeister, 1839) — 22 females, 11 male and 4 nymphs. The prevalence of lice infestation was 12.4%; A. agrarius was the most infected rodent (prevalence 25%). The most numerous lice were P. serrata. This species was recorded on A. agrarius (11.4%) and A. flavicolis (3.3%) collected in Wroclaw, and on C. glareolus (2.5%) collected in Masyw Slezy. Only single individuals of P. serrata were found on Apodemus (the mean intensity was 1.25). A big collection (17 females, 11 males and 3 nymphs) was gathered on C. glareolus. H. affinis was found only on a typical host A. agrarius (14.3%) collected in both habitats in Wroctaw (mean intensity 4.75). H. acanthopus was found only on C. glareolus (prevalence 5.0%). No mixed infestation was recorded. Higer infestation of hosts was in habitats of Wroctaw than in Masyw Slezy

New locations of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in Western Poland: the first evidence of the merge in D. reticulatus occurrence areas?

The ornate dog tick, D. reticulatus, is the second most common tick species in Europe. It occurs across the temperate zone of Eurasia, from England and France to the basin of the Jenisej River in Siberia, and the occurrence area ranges from 56–57°N latitude down to 52°N latitude. The range is divided into two distinct parts, the WestEuropean and the Eastern part. The western region covers France and northern Spain, South-western England and Wales, Germany, Austria, Czech, Western Slovakia and Hungary. The eastern region extends from the eastern part of Poland and Slovakia, through Belarus and Russia as far east as Siberia. The southern parts of this region cover Ukraine, Eastern Hungary and Romania. From the 1970s, D. reticulatus has expanded its area of occurrence. In Poland, the front of the area is historically situated along the Vistula River. From the 1980s new tick populations has appeared to the west of this border. In the past years, new populations of D. reticulatus appeared close to the western border of Poland near Szczecin and Wrocław. These are possibly the first observations of the merge between the two separated areas of D. reticulatus occurrence