Journal of Animal Research
  • Year: 2018
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue: 1

Observation of Fur-mites of the Family Atopomelidae and Listrophoridae (Acari: Astigmata) from Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Grenada, West Indies: A Preliminary Report

  • Author:
  • Camille Coomansingh Springer, Keshaw Tiwari, Andrea Montanez Acuna, Ravindra Sharma
  • Total Page Count: 2
  • Page Number: 163 to 164

Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies

*Corresponding author: R Sharma; Email: rsharma@sgu.edu

Online published on 7 December, 2018.

Abstract

Grenada is the southernmost country in the Caribbean sea with an area of 348.5 Km2. The country with low hills, small trees, shrubs and tropical climate is most suitable for growth of rats as well as mites. During fecal examination from 170 brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Grenada for identification of gastrointestinal parasites, fur mites belonging to Atopomedilidae and Listrophoridae family were also observed in 18 (10.5%) in fecal samples. This is the first report of presence of fur mites in R. norvegicus from Grenada. It is concluded that rats should be regularly dewormed for enteroparasites.

Keywords

Fur mites, Grenada, Rattus norvegicus