Ecological characterization of fleas on small mammals in natural and disturbed landscapes in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion, Argentina

Abstract

Abstract: To understand the ecoepidemiology of fleas and their interactions withdomestic and wild animals, it is necessary to decode the cycles of flea abundance inrelation to host species and environmental factors. The province of Misiones, known forits biodiversity and land use changes, provides an excellent study location. We assessedthe diversity, prevalence, abundance, and parasitic intensity of fleas collected from 1153rodents and opossums in various environments in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ofArgentina, considering phytogeography and land use. Our findings were consistent withprevious studies conducted in humid regions of Argentina and the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.Hosts with high population density exhibited greater flea prevalence and abundance, andwidely distributed hosts showed higher flea species richness and diversity. Significantsimilarities in flea similarity indices among phytogeographic areas, especially in forest.Environments with an anthropogenic gradient exhibited marked dissimilarities, withhigher species richness and diversity in less disturbed sites. These parameters may beinfluenced by the presence of polyxenous Ctenocephalides, Polygenis, and Adoratopsyllafleas co-infesting opossum in urban areas. These findings provide valuable insights intothe ecoepidemiology of fleas, their relationships with host species, and the impact ofenvironmental factors in a strategic Atlantic forest ecoregion.