Mites present in small terrestrial mammals in a preserved unit inside the Atlantic rainforest including pathogen monitoring

Ectoparasitic mites have been studied for many years in the medical and veterinary fields, particularly for their association with humans and domesticated animals. At environments with little anthropic actions is possible to learn more about their interaction with natural or primary hosts. In this study, ectoparasitic mites of rodents and mammals of the Legado das Águas reserve were studied. The reserve is located inside the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest with high levels of conservation due to being mainly used for ecotourism. The objective of this study was to explore ectoparasitic mites in three areas of the reserve, and search rickettsiae bacteria in some sampled specimens. Mites were collected from hosts using Sherman and Tomahawk traps and later identified using taxonomic keys. A total of 6,947 mites were collected belonging to three families (Laelapidae, Macronyssidae and Trombiculidae) on 478 hosts. Individually selected mite samples (N = 186) were subjected to DNA extraction and further tested for occurrence of Rickettsia, however, no sample retrieved positive results. This study reports new mite records for hosts and localities and explores the dynamics of the ecology of mites and their hosts in a particular area inside the Atlantic Rainforest.