The sticktight flea, (Echidnophaga gallinacea), a major pest of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) that can cause severe pathology or death if untreated, is rarely recorded in free-living avian species. Sticktight fleas, however, were observed on the federally threatened Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) in February 2004, in south central Florida. Of the 81 Florida scrub-jays (FSJs) sampled before the 2004 breeding season, 12 were infested, with from 1 to as many as 57 fleas. Subsequent survivorship and variation in health indices led us to conclude that the sticktight flea caused the death of several jays. Within 4 mo, 46% of sticktight flea-infested (INF) jays died, whereas in the nonflea-infested (NINF) jays, only 5.9% died. Adult INF birds lost body mass in the time since a previous capture compared with NINF jays, and mass gain was slowed in 1-yr-old INF jays. Hematocrit of INF jays was dramatically impacted, as low as 17%, and was negatively correlated with the extent of infestation. Leukocyte counts were highest in INF jays; however, plasma immunoglobulin levels were lowest. Physiological stress levels, measured using plasma corticosterone, increased more rapidly in INF jays than NINF jays and were positively correlated with heterophil/lymphocyte ratios. The impact of the sticktight flea on the federally threatened FSJ negates previous findings that sticktight fleas are benign in wild avian hosts.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
October 2006
ECTOPARASITOLOGY|
October 01 2006
AN INTRODUCED GENERALIST PARASITE, THE STICKTIGHT FLEA (ECHIDNOPHAGA GALLINACEA), AND ITS PATHOLOGY IN THE THREATENED FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (APHELOCOMA COERULESCENS)
R. K. Boughton;
R. K. Boughton
Department of Biology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152. rboughtn@memphis.edu
* Present address: Avian Laboratory, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, Florida 33960
Search for other works by this author on:
J. W. Atwell;
J. W. Atwell
Department of Biology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152. rboughtn@memphis.edu
† Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
Search for other works by this author on:
S. J. Schoech
S. J. Schoech
Department of Biology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152. rboughtn@memphis.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
J Parasitol (2006) 92 (5): 941–948.
Citation
R. K. Boughton, J. W. Atwell, S. J. Schoech; AN INTRODUCED GENERALIST PARASITE, THE STICKTIGHT FLEA (ECHIDNOPHAGA GALLINACEA), AND ITS PATHOLOGY IN THE THREATENED FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (APHELOCOMA COERULESCENS). J Parasitol 1 October 2006; 92 (5): 941–948. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-769R.1
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
EVALUATION OF PELIBUEY LAMBS BORN TO MOTHERS PHENOTYPICALLY SEGREGATED ACCORDING TO RESISTANCE TO GASTROINTESTINAL NEMATODES IN THE HUMID TROPICS OF MEXICO
Claudia Virginia Zaragoza-Vera, Roberto Gonzalez-Garduño, Maritza Zaragoza-Vera, Guadalupe Arjona-Jimenez, Antonio Ortega-Pacheco, Oswaldo Margarito Torres-Chable
ACCEPTANCE OF THE 2022 CLARK P. READ MENTOR AWARD: MENTORING BY DESIGN
Richard E. Clopton