Effect of body size on the abundance of ectoparasitic mites on the wild rodent Oligoryzomys nigripes

Abstract

The abundance of parasites on a host can be affected by several factors; in this study, we investigated the influence of sex and body size of the host rodent Oligoryzomys nigripes on the abundance of ectoparasitic mites (Acari: Mesostigmata). The generalized linear model indicated that body size (indicative of age) of the host rodent O. nigripes significantly contributed to the variation in the abundance of mites on host rodents at the Experimental Station of Itirapina. This trend of increased parasitism on hosts with larger body sizes may be linked to the fact that larger individuals are able to support the coexistence of a larger number of parasites, and being more mobile, are more exposed to infection by parasites.