Carrapatos em roedores da região de Franca-SP: avaliação preliminar do potencial de transmissão de doenças infecciosas para a população humana

Abstract

There is a large number of capybaras (Hydrochaeris hydrochoeris) in the city of Franca, as well as small mammals such as wild rats living on land very close to housing and leisure areas. The present work aimed to investigate the tick species that parasitize these animals in the region and discuss and evaluate their importance as hosts for this arthropod. Ticks in free-living stages were captured using CO2 traps and drag flannels, in the vicinity of catches of small mammals and also in the resting areas of capybaras and on trails through the woods. The search for ticks in small mammals was as unsuccessful as the catches of free-living ixodes, where it was successful in catching small rodents. Ticks were found in capybaras and also in the environments where these animals lived. The presence of these vectors in leisure areas in the city of Franca increases the risk of tick-borne diseases. Furthermore, habitat destruction has increased.