Pathogens of Acarina (mites).

S Mary Ann Strand Audy, J. R. & Lavoipierre, M. M. J. (1964). The laboratory rearing of parasitic acarina. Bull. World Health Organ., 31: 583-586. Fungi may cause mortality in mite colonies when humidity is kept above 75%. Bertram, D. S. (1947). The period required by Litomosoides carinii to reach the infective stage in Liponyssus bacoti and the duration of the mite's infectivity. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol., 41: 253-261. (RAEb 39: 22). L. carinii reached the infective stage 14 days after the host mites became infected and remained infective for 22 more days. The infection was transmitted by the mites to rats on the 3rd through the 5th meal (15-25 days). Bertram, D. S. et al. (1946). The biology and maintenance of Liponyssus bacoti Hirst, 1913, and an investigation into its role as a vector of Litomosoides carinii to cotton rats and white rats, together with some observations on the infection in the white rats. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol., 40: 228-254. (RAEb 37: 139) The microfilariae are taken up by nymph and adult mites, but no developmental forms were found in the nymphs. Of 11 adult female mites exposed, late developmental forms were found in 5 after 20-33 days. Filariae transversed the gut wall of the mite and are transmitted as the mite feeds. Clark, G. M. et al. (1966). Observations on the ability of Haemogamasus liponyssoides Ewing and Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst) (Acarina, Gamasina) to retain eastern equine encephalitis virus: Preliminary report. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 15: 107-112. The mites became infected with EEE after feeding on blood of infected hosts. The virus persisted in the H. liponyssoides for 24 hours at room temperature or longer at higher temperatures. In 0. bacoti, the virus persisted 7 days at room temperature. No increase in virus was seen in the mites. Dissanaike, A. S. (1958). Experimental infection of tapeworms and oribatid mites with Nosema helminthorum. Exp. Parasitol., 7: 306-318. (A 33: 27738). The experimental infection of 2 mites, Ceratoppia bipilis and Xenillus tegeocranus, with N. helminthorum is reported. The microsporidian is a hyper-parasite of Moniezia of lambs. Its spores are similar to, though smaller than, N. helminthorum from cestodes. Furman, D. P. (1966). Hepatozoon balfouri (Laveran, 1905): Sporogonic cycle, pathogenesis, and transmission by mites to jerboa hosts. J. Parasitol., 52(2): 373-382. H. balfouri was successfully transferred to 2 species of laboratory reared mites, Haemolaelaps longipes and Haemolaelaps centrocarpus. Heavy infections were pathogenic and often fatal. Nearly all of the H. longipes mites and about 20% of the H. centrocarpus became infected when fed infective blood. No difference in the time required for parasite development was noted in the 2 species of mites.