NEW RECORDS OF ECTOPARASITES FROM Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck 1813) IN MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

Abstract

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.