The diet of the parasitic mite Trichosurolaelaps crassipes Womersley, 1956 and its potential to act as a disease vector

Authors: Clark JM
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 43, Issue 6, pp 215-218, Nov 1995
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Possum, Wildlife
Subject Terms: Inflammation, Integument/skin/wool/hair/fur/feather, Disease/defect, Diet/rations/food, Disease transmission, Epidemiology, Parasites - external, Nutrition/metabolism, Species description
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: The anatomy of the gaster of Trichosurolaelaps crassipes is illustrated. Protonymphs, deutonymphs and adults were all seen with a scarlet gut and gave strongly positive results to occult blood tests. Host blood cells were identified in a gut smear from a female mite. An adult female gut could hold about 7.1 x 10^-6 ml. The mite was seen frequenting small open skin lesions. Gram-negative bacteria identified in the mite`s gut are most likely to be endosymbionts. Mite larvae have their gastric caeca invaded by these bacteria before birth. There is a potential for this mite to act as a weak vector of disease from one possum to another.

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