CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES >

2026 , Vol. 44 >Issue 1: 94 - 101

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2026.01.014

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Species composition, host specificity and genetic diversity of ectoparasites on rodents in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province

  • YANG Yang ,
  • WANG Xu ,
  • LI Mengqing ,
  • XUE Chuizhao ,
  • ZUO Qingqiu ,
  • YIN Jianhai ,
  • CAO Jianping
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  • 1 School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
    2 School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
    3 National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases; NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

Received date: 2026-01-12

  Revised date: 2026-02-12

  Online published: 2026-02-28

Supported by

National Natural Science Foundation of China(82404325)

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the species composition, host associations, and genetic structure of ectoparasites on rodents from alpine meadow habitats in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province, so as provide baseline data for risk assessment of regional zoonoses. Methods Small rodents were captured using random quadrats with traps in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province in October 2023 and August 2024, and identified morphologically. Ectoparasites were collected from the host rodents by fur-combing, and DNA was extracted. Flea 18S rRNA, mite cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and tick 16S rDNA gene fragments were amplified using PCR assay for species identification. The obtained sequences were subjected to homology analysis. Haplotypes were analyzed using the software DnaSP 6.12.03, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using the maximum likelihood method in MEGA 7.0 to infer genetic evolutionary characteristics. In addition, a quantitative host-parasite association network was visualized as a Sankey diagram using the software Python 3.13.2. Results A total of 472 small rodents belonging to 7 species were captured, with Neodon fuscus (52.12%, 246/472) and Ochotona curzoniae (35.81%, 169/472) as dominant species. A total of 147 ectoparasites were collected and classified into 32 species, including 13 fleas species (94 individuals), 6 tick species (11 individuals), and 13 mite species (42 individuals), with Oropsylla silantiewi and Foxella ignota as the most abundant flea species (both accounting for 24.47%, 23/94), Poecilochirus austroasiaticus as the most abundant mite species (40.48%, 17/42), and Dermacentor silvarum and D. andersoni as the most abundant tick species (both accounting for 3/11). Fleas, mites and ticks displayed 30, 28, and 10 haplotypes, with haplotype diversity values of 0.863 5, 0.981 8 and 1.000 0, respectively, indicating significant genetic differentiation. Phylogenetic analysis showed clear clustering of distinct taxa. O. curzoniae and N. fuscus harbored 23 and 16 parasite species, respectively, representing core host nodes. 87.5% (28/32) of parasite species exhibited host specificity, with 65.6% (21/32) infesting only single host species. Conclusion Rodents harbor a rich diversity of ectoparasites in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province, with fleas, ticks, and mites as the main parasite groups, and O. curzoniae and N. fuscus as key hosts. The ectoparasite community exhibits a high host specificity, considerable haplotype richness, and pronounced genetic diversity, with phylogenetic analysis revealing distinct clustering patterns.

Key words： Rodent; Ectoparasite; Species composition; Genetic evolution; Shiqu

Cite this article

YANG Yang , WANG Xu , LI Mengqing , XUE Chuizhao , ZUO Qingqiu , YIN Jianhai , CAO Jianping . Species composition, host specificity and genetic diversity of ectoparasites on rodents in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES, 2026 , 44(1) : 94 -101 . DOI: 10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2026.01.014

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