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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog with chigger mite skin infection from Brazil forest area

By Rodrigo Santos-Rodrigues et al.·Published in Entomological Communications·2021·View original on Semantic Scholar

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Original publication title: A new case of trombiculiasis caused by Eutrombicula daemoni Bassini-Silva & Jacinavicius, 2018 (Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae) in a dog from Brazil

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A 3-year-old female Shih Tzu from Brazil was brought to the vet for severe itching and redness on her face. After examining her, the vet found tiny mites called Eutrombicula daemoni, which are known to cause skin problems called trombiculiasis. These mites can be found in forested areas, and this case highlights the risk for pets that roam in such environments. The vet treated the dog for the mite infestation, and she was expected to recover once the treatment took effect.

People also search for: dog itching face mites · Shih Tzu skin problems · chiggers in dogs treatment

Abstract

Chiggers are ectoparasites and can cause severe dermatitis in their hosts, known as trombiculiasis. Besides that, these mites can be vectors of bacteria of the genus Orientia, in various regions of the world. The genera Eutrombicula Ewing, 1938 is currently represented by more than 80 species worldwide. Species of this genus are recorded parasitizing reptiles, birds, and mammals. One of this species, Eutrombicula daemoni Bassini-Silva & Jacinavicius, 2018 was recently described causing trombiculiasis in a dog. Our goal is to report a new case of a dog’s trombiculiasis, including a new locality record for E. daemoni in Brazil. In May 2021, a female Shih-Tzu dog with three years old and with access to the forest of the Santa Tereza municipality, southeastern Brazil, sought veterinary medical attention for intense itching and erythema in the facial region. Mites were collected directly from the face of the dog. These materials were slide-mounted and deposited in the Acarological Collection of the Butantan Institute (IBSP). The material extracted from the dog was examined and identified as E. daemoni. Part of the fixation site tissue of the dog was collected, showing the feeding tube produced by the enzymatic reaction of saliva by the mite, known as a stylostome. In this report, we emphasize the occurrence of trombiculiasis in domestic animals that have access to forest regions, places that unfed chigger larvae live. Additionally, this record represents a new locality record for E. daemoni to the Espírito Santo State, Brazil.

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Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3cdb522586aef8bbb61535b28674b914bb37ba3f