Medical and Veterinary Entomology最新文献

{"title":"Detection and genetic characterization of arboviruses and other viruses from mosquitoes collected in southeastern and central Senegal, October 2022.","authors":"Diawo Diallo, Ousseynou Sene, Déthiè Ngom, Aliou Khoulé, Elisabeth Thérèse Faye, Idrissa Dieng, Marie Henriette Dior Ndione, Oumar Faye, Etienne Simon-Lorière, Moussa Moise Diagne, Mawlouth Diallo, Anavaj Sakuntabhai, Gamou Fall","doi":"10.1111/mve.70017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The knowledge of the distribution of viruses and their associated mosquito species is still incomplete in Senegal. Additionally, data on the genetic characterization of these viruses are limited. The aim was to update knowledge on the diversity, distribution and genetic relationships of mosquito-associated viruses in Senegal through entomological and molecular surveillance. Mosquitoes were collected in October 2022 across 10 districts in Senegal. Samples were identified morphologically and processed for virome characterization using qRT-PCR and next-generation sequencing. The most common species were Culex cinereus Theobald, 1901, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823, Culex neavei Theobald, 1904, and Culex poicilipes Theobald, 1904 (Diptera: Culicidae). The number of mosquitoes collected varied by habitat and district. We detected 42 isolates of 7 viruses, including Bagaza (BAGV), Barkedji, Sindbis (SINV), Usutu (USUV), Dezidougou, Densovirus and Pestivirus A (PESVA), in 6 mosquito species (Mansonia uniformis, Cx. neavei Theobald, 1901, Anopheles coustani, Cx. cinereus Laveran, 1900, Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762 and Aedes vexans Meigen, 1830) (Diptera: Culicidae). The viruses were mainly detected in mosquitoes collected near ponds (92.9%). BAGV and SINV were detected for the first time in southeastern Senegal. This is also the first association of PESVA with mosquitoes in the field. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that PESVA clustered with strains from Asia and Egypt, BAGV with strains from Senegal and Spain, USUV with strains from Senegal and SINV with strains from Spain and Kenya. This study expands the understanding of mosquito-virus associations in Senegal, revealing new geographic distributions and vectors for several viruses, with implications for arbovirus emergence and surveillance strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145186247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An integrated analysis of mammalophilic blackflies in the Simulium variegatum group in Laos.","authors":"Peter H Adler, Bhuvadol Gomontean, Waraporn Jumpato, Ronnalit Mintara, San Namtaku, Isara Thanee, Wannachai Wannasingha, Komgrit Wongpakam, Chavanut Jaroenchaiwattanachote, Khamla Inkhavilay, Banchai Malavong, Ubon Tangkawanit, Pairot Pramual","doi":"10.1111/mve.70018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The simuliid fauna of Laos is among the most poorly known of any country in the world, only seven species having been recorded. We explored the Laotian simuliid fauna as an opportunity to test reproductive isolation and the minute morphological differences between two of the country's common isomorphic nominal species-Simulium chamlongi Takaoka & Suzuki (Diptera: Simuliidae) and Simulium luculentum Takaoka, Srisuka & Saeung (Diptera: Simuliidae). Both are members of the widespread Simulium variegatum group. Using the band patterns of the giant chromosomes in the larval silk glands, we showed that S. chamlongi and S. luculentum are reproductively isolated, no hybrids having been found. Molecular analyses indicated that the two species are genetically distinct, with a minimum genetic divergence of 2.91%. Analysis of a fragment of the vertebrate cytochrome b gene revealed that the blood hosts of S. chamlongi and S. luculentum in Laos include humans and water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis Linnaeus) (Artiodactyla: Bovidae), respectively. Diagnostic morphological characters provided in the original species descriptions were substantiated for pupae and females but not for larvae or males. Our chromosomal analyses also revealed a third reproductively isolated species, possibly new, with a unique IIS chromosomal sequence. The absence of a uniquely shared inversion among the three species indicates that the S. variegatum group lacks a defining chromosomal synapomorphy.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145069893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Species delimitation of the Afrotropical and Palaearctic Calliphora Robineau-Desvoidy and discovery of two new species in Afrotropics.","authors":"Drashti R Parmar, Nikolas P Johnston, Mergi Daba Dinka, Krzysztof Szpila","doi":"10.1111/mve.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The blowflies (Calliphoridae) represent a significant portion of schizophoran fly diversity, comprising approximately 2000 known species. Among them, the genus Calliphora Robineau-Desvoidy is one of the largest, with over 100 species primarily distributed in the Holarctic Region and Australasia. Blowflies include several ubiquitous species and are primarily recognised for their medical and veterinary importance. In the Afrotropics, Calliphora was previously known from only two species: the native Calliphora croceipalpis Jaennicke and the introduced Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy. Two new distinctive species of Calliphora collected during recent fieldwork in Ethiopia are described using methods of integrative taxonomy. Calliphora teraramma sp. n. is characterised by peculiar male genitalia, with large cerci and a minute phallus. Calliphora mesay sp. n. is characterised by morphological and molecular traits, a close relative of the cosmopolitan C. vicina. In addition, we developed a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode reference library for Palaearctic and Afrotropical Calliphora species, including 33 newly generated barcodes. Molecular species delimitation analyses using the software Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) and Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP), implemented through the recently developed integrative platform Spart Explorer, largely support morphological species concepts.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145054700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of detritus decomposition time on oviposition site selection and developmental success of Aedes aegypti.","authors":"Candela M Arnaldo, Pedro Montini, Sylvia Fischer","doi":"10.1111/mve.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 'oviposition preference-offspring performance' hypothesis (PPH) proposes that females select oviposition sites that optimise offspring performance. For Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae), the main vector of dengue in the Americas, it is expected that females prefer to lay eggs in containers with high nutritional quality, where developmental success is maximised. In this study we aimed to test the PPH in relation to three detritus decomposition time treatments (3, 14 and 42 days). Oviposition was studied during 1 week in three contiguous ovitraps (one per decomposition time treatment) at 18 sites. Immature development in the three treatments was studied at constant densities (20 larvae) or at realistic densities (eggs/treatment in the oviposition study). The number of eggs from the oviposition study and a performance index based on development time, wing length and survival in the immature development study were compared between treatments. Both the oviposition site selection and the subsequent larval development were affected by the detritus decomposition time. Females laid fewer eggs in the 3-day treatment (mean: 16 eggs) than in the 14- and 42-day treatments (mean: 65 and 62 eggs respectively). Immature developmental performance was inversely related to decomposition time at constant densities, and at realistic densities, immatures performed even worse in the longer decomposition time treatments due to higher larval densities. Thus, the effects of detritus decomposition time seem to act in opposite directions for oviposition site selection and immature development success, which does not align with the PPH. One possible explanation for this apparent contradiction is that containers with short detritus decomposition times could indicate a frequent replacement of water, and that females might be selecting signals associated with habitat permanence to ensure the completion of development of their offspring.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145033740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of bacterial strains on oviposition and larval development of two BTV vector species of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae): An approach to colony establishment.","authors":"Ankita Sarkar, Paramita Banerjee, Abhijit Mazumdar","doi":"10.1111/mve.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The biting midges, Culicoides peregrinus Kieffer and Culicoides oxystoma Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the most significant vector species of bluetongue virus (BTV) in the Oriental region, including India. Rearing of these vector species was cumbersome; previous researchers supplemented the rearing substrates primarily with cattle dung (the habitat), yeast and nutrient broth. Other investigations reiterated that an enriched milieu of live bacteria is required for the oviposition and developmental progression of the immatures as they failed to develop in sterile medium. Therefore, bacteria-based approaches provide novel opportunities for artificial rearing. This investigation tries to simplify and create a cleaner version of rearing based on different bacterial strains. The substrate bacterial strains were biochemically characterised, and their influence on oviposition, hatching and larval development was analysed and evaluated under laboratory conditions. We artificially reared two vector species by utilising three different strains of Bacillus cereus and one strain of Alcaligenes faecalis retrieved from the substrates. The results demonstrated that gravid females select their oviposition substrates based on stimuli derived from live microorganisms that indicate the suitability of the developmental substrate for immature development. Bacillus cereus 1B stimulated the greatest extent of egg hatching (>99%), larval survivability (>74%), pupae formation (>83%) and adult emergence (>98%) in both species. This present investigation proposes to utilise B. cereus 1B as an alternative approach to artificially rear and establish laboratory colonies of these vector species.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145023631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sand fly (Phlebotominae) activity and abundance in vertical strata in a tropical dry forest in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.","authors":"Ana Celia Montes de Oca-Aguilar, Adrián Sánchez-Bazán, Eduardo A Rebollar-Téllez, Jorge A Palacio-Vargas, Karina B López-Ávila, Erika I Sosa Bibiano, Elsy Nalleli Loría-Cervera","doi":"10.1111/mve.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The study of population dynamics in a vertical forest gradient provides basic information on the aspects of insect vector natural history that influence the rate of pathogen transmission. In Mexico, these studies are remarkably limited for sand flies recognised as Leishmania vectors. This study analyses the temporal dynamics of sand fly species (Diptera: Psychodidae) along vertical strata of a tropical dry forest in Yucatán, Mexico, an area previously identified as a transmission hotspot for Leishmania mexicana. Bimonthly samplings were conducted over 1 year by using six CDC light traps in the understory and six traps in the canopy. During the collection period, forest attributes and environmental data (temperature and relative humidity) were recorded for each ecotope. In total, 630 individuals were sampled, of which 68% were collected in the understory and 32% in the canopy. No significant differences in species diversity and abundance were detected between the two ecotopes. Psathyromyia shannoni (Dyar) and Dampfomyia deleoni (Fairchild and Hertig) were the only species structured in the vertical dimension. Observed diversity in both strata responds similarly across both monthly and seasonal time scales. Data analyses indicated that relative humidity influenced the vertical distribution of P. shannoni and D. deleoni, although the magnitude and direction of this effect varied by species. Psathyromyia shannoni exhibited contrasting responses to relative humidity between the canopy and the understory, independent of sex, suggesting that additional environmental factors not assessed in this study may modulate its vertical distribution. Despite the limitations of our work, these findings contribute to the knowledge on the population dynamics of sand flies in the tropical forests of the Yucatán Peninsula.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145023704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fleas of wild mammals carrying pathogenic bacteria in Argentinian Patagonia: A study based on wildlife roadkill.","authors":"Diana Belén Acosta, Marina Winter, Sergio Damián Abate, Juliana Patricia Sanchez","doi":"10.1111/mve.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are recognised vectors of bacteria that affect human and other animal health, whose reservoirs are in the majority mammals. Among these, some species of the genera Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) and Bartonella (Rhizobiales: Bartonellaceae) are emerging and re-emerging throughout the world; however, their circulation across vast regions of Argentina and numerous animal species, particularly wild species remains largely unknown. The study of wild animal roadkill provides valuable insights into parasitic associations and the presence of pathogenic microorganisms, allowing the generation of a health alert in certain ecosystems. The aim of this study was to describe the diversity of fleas associated with roadkilled wild native meso-mammals in the extreme northeast of Argentinian Patagonia, and to detect the presence of Rickettsia and Bartonella bacteria. Five host species were examined, including Chaetophractus villosus Desmarest (Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae); Didelphis albiventris Lund (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae); Lagostomus maximus Desmarest (Rodentia: Chinchillidae); Leopardus geoffroyi d'Orbigny and Gervais (Carnivora: Felidae) and Lycalopex gymnocercus Fischer (Carnivora: Canidae). A total of 248 fleas were recovered, identified as Hectopsyllidae: Hectopsylla broscus Jordan and Rothschild and Hectopsylla cypha Jordan; Malacopsyllidae: Phthiropsylla agenoris Rothschild and Malacopsylla grossiventris Weyenbergh; Pulicidae: Ctenocephalides felis Bouché and Pulex irritans Linnaeus. Molecular analysis detected two flea-borne pathogenic bacteria: Rickettsia felis (Bouyer et al.), found in C. felis from D. albiventris, and Bartonella rochalimae (Eremeeva et al.), reported here for the first time in Argentina, detected in P. agenoris from C. villosus, and in P. irritans from L. maximus and L. gymnocercus. The results contribute to knowledge of flea diversity in Argentinian Patagonia and provide new information about flea-borne pathogens circulating in the wildlife of this region. Furthermore, this study is the first in Argentina to investigate ectoparasites and their associated bacteria in roadkilled animals, making a pioneering contribution to the field. The interesting findings highlight the importance of implementing and expanding road ecology studies, which could easily be replicated in other regions where information gaps on flea and flea-borne bacteria diversity still exist.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145015805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First detection of Rickettsia japonica in Hyalomma dromedarii ticks infesting camels from Egypt: A call for enhanced surveillance of tick-borne pathogens.","authors":"Ahmed M Soliman, Hassan Y A H Mahmoud, Moaz M Amer, Samah Mohamed, Tatsuro Hifumi, Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara, Tetsuya Tanaka","doi":"10.1111/mve.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tick-borne rickettsiosis has posed a significant threat to Egypt, with various pathogenic Rickettsia species being reported. In this study, 134 ticks were collected from camels in Esna City, Luxor, Egypt and all were identified as Hyalomma dromedarii through both morphological and molecular techniques. Using specific primers targeting the citrate synthase (gltA), outer membrane protein A (ompA) and 17 kD antigen (17 kDa) genes, Rickettsia japonica was detected via conventional and nested PCR assays. Remarkably, two samples tested positive for R. japonica across all three genes, indicating a prevalence of 1.5%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the gltA, ompA and 17 kDa genes confirmed the presence of R. japonica within H. dromedarii ticks. This is the first reported detection of R. japonica in Egypt. These findings highlight the urgent need to investigate the origin and spread of R. japonica in the country and underscore the importance of continuous surveillance and data collection on lesser-known pathogens circulating in ticks as part of Egypt's public health efforts to manage tick-borne diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterns of distributional congruence of rodent ectoparasites in Iran: A first approach.","authors":"Maria Fernanda López Berrizbeitia, Kordiyeh Hamidi","doi":"10.1111/mve.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rodents represent the most diverse mammalian group and are considered important hosts for different groups of parasites serving as vectors for some zoonotic agents. Although there have been numerous studies conducted on occurrence records of ectoparasites on rodents, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the biogeographical patterns of ectoparasites on this group of small mammals. In this study, a quantitative approach was employed to identify patterns of distributional congruence (PDCs) of ectoparasites of rodents in Iran. A total of 121 occurrence records for 37 species of ectoparasites (ticks, mites, lice and fleas) in Iran were analysed using endemicity analysis NDM/VNDM. Twelve consensus areas, characterised by 30 species, were found which were grouped into three PDCs. The PDCs showed that the highest endemicity values were primarily linked to the Zagros Mountains and central Persian areas. The patterns as a whole showed a clear tendency of the Zagros Mountains, forest steppe and central Persian desert basins ecoregions to provide possible areas of endemism. The current study extends the knowledge on the distribution patterns of four main groups of ectoparasites in association with rodent species in Iran and emphasises the significance of endemic zones in controlling management of reservoirs and vectors and conservation efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stable isotope analysis of ectoparasites as a tool for understanding trophic interactions with mammalian hosts.","authors":"Gaia G Mortier, Stuart Black, Andrew C Kitchener, Georg Hantke, Luke A Stevens, Lea J Grayston-Smith, Phillip J Baker, M Alejandra Perotti","doi":"10.1111/mve.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change is expected to expand the geographic ranges of ectoparasites, increasing the transmission of vector-borne diseases and necessitating a better understanding of ectoparasite-host trophic dynamics. Haematophagous ectoparasites can serve as valuable subsamples of their hosts, retaining isotopic values that reflect dietary information in both their blood meals and tissues. However, differences in the life histories and feeding strategies of lice, fleas and ticks may influence how host isotopic composition is preserved. Here, stable isotope values of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) were used to investigate trophic interactions between ectoparasites and their mammalian hosts in three pairings: lice (Anoplura: Polyplacidae; n = 101) from Eurasian red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris L. (Rodentia: Sciuridae), fleas (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae; n = 92) from fat dormice Glis glis L. (Rodentia: Gliridae) and ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae; n = 16) from European hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus L. (Eulipotyphla: Erinaceidae). Our findings indicate that ectoparasites reflect the dietary patterns of their hosts, with lice exhibiting the closest isotopic values, followed by fleas and ticks. All parasites had significantly higher δ¹⁵N values than their hosts, indicative of trophic enrichment, but their δ¹³C values varied. Notably, we found that the presence of a blood meal did not significantly affect the isotopic values found in lice and fleas, while ticks showed a significant difference between exoskeleton and blood meal in δ¹³C values. This study highlights the importance of understanding how the life histories of parasite species influence the preservation of isotopic host signals in order to be able to utilise stable isotope analyses of ectoparasites to infer host dietary niches and preferences, with broader implications for understanding host-parasite dynamics and disease transmission pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}