Incidence of Infection and Host Specificity of Cuterebra tenebrosa in Bushy-Tailed Wood Rats (Neotoma cinerea) from Central Washington

• Published in: The Journal of parasitology Vol. 65; no. 4; pp. 639 - 644
• Main Author: Baird, Craig R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society of Parasitologists 01-08-1979
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Wild - parasitology; Botflies; Diptera; Dosage; Eggs; Host-Parasite Interactions; Infections; Insect larvae; Larva; Larvae; Larval development; Myiasis - epidemiology; Myiasis - parasitology; Myiasis - veterinary; Parasite hosts; Rats; Rats - parasitology; Rodent Diseases - epidemiology; Rodent Diseases - parasitology; Rodents; Washington; Washington
• ISSN: 0022-3395; 1937-2345
• DOI: 10.2307/3280334

Cuterebra tenebrosa Coquillett bot flies were studied under natural and laboratory conditions in bushy-tailed wood rats and 7 other small mammal host species. Larvae demonstrated strong host specificity for Neotoma cinerea. Monthly trapping samples of wood rats in central Washington showed infection peaks of 65-70% in May and 30-40% in late summer. In laboratory-induced infections, wood rats supported 7 larvae without host mortality. Natural infections in trapped rats ranged from 1 to 6 per host. Larvae developed in lateral and dorsal warbles in laboratory and natural infections. Few wood rats demonstrated evidence of acquired immunity in repeated infections over 2 years.