NEW RECORDS OF ECTOPARASITES FROM Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck 1813) IN MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL (Novos registros de ectoparasitas de Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck 1813) em Minas Gerais, Brasil)

Patagioneas picazuro (Temminck 1813) are Columbidae considered pests due to damages they cause to grain crops and problems related to overpopulation. They also may act as hosts of parasites that can generate public health problems. The aim of this study was to report the ectoparasites on P. picazuro in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as to identify the presence of pathogens that may use these arthropods as vectors. The collected arthropods were morphologically identified as Ornithoctona erythrocephala (Leach 1817) (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) and Columbicola passerinae (Wilson 1941) (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae). Ectoparasite DNA was extracted and molecularly processed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Samples were screened for the presence of Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Rickettsia spp, but the results were negative for the pathogens tested. Further studies need to be performed in order to identify the role these ectoparasites have on the transmission of pathogens, and whether they act as biological or mechanical vectors. This is the first report of Ornithoctona erythrocephala in Minas Gerais and the first record of parasitism by Columbicola passerinae in Patagioneas picazuro.


INTRODUCTION
The Picazuro Pigeon Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck 1813) (Columbiformes: Columbidae) has a wide geographic distribution in South America, being found across most of Brazil, Argentina, Bolívia and Paraguay in both urban and rural environments (WikiAves, 2008). Some Columbidae species, including P. picazuro, are considered pests due to damages they cause to grain crops (Ranvaud and Bucher, 2006) and problems related to overpopulation (Lefeberve, 1985). In addition, they may act as hosts of parasites that can generate public health problems (Adriano et al., 2000;Gonzalez et al., 2004).
Among the Diptera that parasitize birds, the family Hippoboscidae presents 21 genera with 200 species of flies by far described; within them, 30 species, distributed in 10 genera have been recorded in Brazil (Maa, 1989;Lutz et al., 1915;Bequaert, 1957;Graciolli and Carvalho, 2003). These insects are known as louse-flies or keds and feed on the blood of their vertebrate hosts. They are morphologically characterized by a dorsoventrally wide and flattened body, small head narrowly fixed to the prothorax, and sturdy legs with claws that help the fixation on their hosts (Bequaert, 1942;Maa and Peterson, 1987). These flies parasitize mammals and birds, being the latter responsible for their wide dissemination, due to the migratory habits exhibited by some of them (Lutz et al., 1915;Guimarães, 1945;Bequaert, 1954;Baker, 1967;McClure, 1984;Maa and Peterson, 1987).
Species of Hippoboscidae may present substantial importance in terms of dissemination of diseases, as they act as vectors of pathogens of public health and veterinary concern, such as protozoa (i.e., Trypanossoma spp.) and bacteria (i.e., Anaplasma spp.) (Baker, 1967;Foley et al., 2016). In addition, they are able to carry arthropods of the order Phthiraptera on their body, establishing a phoretic relationship 94 New records of ectoparasites from Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck 1813) in Minas Gerais, Brazil Archives of Veterinary Science, v.26, n.1, p. 92-103, 2021.
Chewing lice are small, wingless, and dorsoventrally flattened with chewing nipples, and can negatively affect their hosts, since they feed on feathers, skin scales and secretions often from birds and some mammals (Seegar et al., 1976;Cohen et al., 1991).
These lice can also act as hosts and vectors for other parasites, such as the nematode Sarconema eurycerca (Price et al., 2003).
The relationship between birds and their ectoparasites is subject to many studies due to the capacity that these arthropods have to act as vectors of pathogens (Pavlovsky and Tokarevich, 1966;Hildebrandt et al., 2010). Therefore, the aim of this study was to report the first record of Ornithoctona erythrocephala (Leach 1817) and Columbicola passerinae (Wilson 1941) on P. picazuro in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as to identify the presence of pathogens that may use these arthropods as vectors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The specimens of P. The pigeons were collected by sitting and waiting for birds to be shot. A 4.5 mm air-pressure shotgun was used to shot the birds. Although this equipment has a very low success rate at killing birds as large as pigeons and parakeet at a dozen meters, we were  1977, 1978, 2043, 2044, 2045 and 2046. The ectoparasites were identified using a stereoscopic microscope and dichotomous keys for flies (Lutz et al., 1915;Maa, 1969;Graciolli and Carvalho, 2003) and lice (Clayton and Price, 1999).
For the molecular processing, DNA of the ectoparasites was extracted according to Ramos et al. (2015). Afterward, the material was screened through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the presence of arthropod borne pathogens ( Table 1)
Although there are already reports of parasitism by the fly O. erythrocephala on P.
picazuro in Paraná and Pernambuco (Serra-Freire and Quadros, 2013), this is the first Additionally, the present study reports for the first time the parasitism by the louse C.
passerinae on this species of pigeon.
Phoretic relationship between the ectoparasites was not observed in our study.
However, the occurrence of both species in these birds shows the need for further investigations on the interactions they may present, since lice of different families usually fix their jaws in flies of the family Hippoboscidae in order to find new hosts (Keirans, 1975).
The results of the PCR analysis of this study were negative for the pathogens screened; however, Foley et al. (2016) have reported the occurrence of Anaplasma spp. in Hippoboscidae. These findings made the authors question whether these flies would act as biological vectors or simply acquired the bacteria by feeding on diseased animals, acting as mechanical carriers. In our study a small number of specimens were tested; therefore, further studies need to be performed in order to identify the role that these ectoparasites have on the transmission of pathogens and whether they act as biological or mechanical vectors.

CONCLUSION
Further studies need to be performed in order to identify the role these ectoparasites have on the transmission of pathogens, and whether they act as biological or mechanical vectors, since in this study few samples were tested. To the most of our knowledge, this is the first report of Ornithoctona erythrocephala in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil and, the first record of parasitism by Columbicola passerinae in Patagioneas picazuro.
Ethics approval: All the international, national, and institutional guidelines for ethical use of animals were followed in this study. The capture of animals used in this study was authorized by the Biodiversity Information and Authorization System (SISBIO) of the