Morphological Characterization of Arthropod Ectoparasites by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, 71516 Assiut, Egypt

Abstract

Arthropods constitute a diverse and largest animal phylum of invertebrates. They consist of over 80% of all known animal species and occupying almost every known habitat including marine, freshwater, land and air. Arthropods are important to the ecosystem and to humans. In this context, arthropods ectoparasites cause serious disease to humans and animals and subsequently leading to annual total economic loss. Therefore, an identification of the arthropod ectoparasites is an important tool for the diagnosis and controlling human and animal infections. Hence an identification of the arthropod ectoparasites by electron microscopy needs collecting arthropod ectoparasites, and handling as well as using previous collected data on mite, lice, bed bugs, and fleas. In the present study, the following arthropod ectoparasites: Demodex canis ,Pediculus humanus, Haematopinus asini, Linognathus africanus, Cimex lectularius, Ctenocephalides canis were collectedand 20%(6/30), 3.61%(3/83), 10%(2/20), 46.67%(7/15), 20%(2/10), and 23.33%(7/30) of these arthropod ectoparasite species, respectively were examined.

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