Primer estudio integral de las poblaciones de garrapatas Ixodidae en caballos Árabe-Berbé del noreste de Argelia: Inventario de especies e influencia de factores abióticos
Resumen
La infestación por garrapatas ha demostrado ser una amenaza real para la salud de los caballos en la cuenca mediterránea. Para identificar los factores ambientales subyacentes a este riesgo, se llevó a cabo un estudio prospectivo de abril a septiembre de 2024 en 67 caballo árabe-bereber distribuidos en seis emplazamientos climáticos y geográficos diferentes, que abarcaban desde las húmedas llanuras costeras de la provincia de El Tarf (4 emplazamientos, n = 46, altitud 50-300 m) hasta las altiplanicies interiores semiáridas de la provincia de Tébessa (2 emplazamientos, n = 21, altitud 400-700 m). Se recolectaron manualmente un total de 825 garrapatas, según un protocolo estandarizado de inspección de cinco minutos, y se diferenciaron microscópicamente mediante un análisis morfológico detallado de características específicLos resultados mostraron que algo más de un tercio de los caballos estaban infestados (frecuencia porcentual global: 34.3 %), con una carga parasitaria media de 36 garrapatas por animal. De manera más significativa, la distribución de especies de garrapatas reveló una clara estructura ecológica (P < 0.001). Las especies del género Rhipicephalus dominaban ampliamente en las áreas húmedas y de baja altitud, representando el 86.2% del total de garrapatas recolectadas. Sin embargo, en las zonas más secas y de mayor altitud, Hyalomma anatolicum fue la especie predominante, representando el 54,0 % de todas las garrapatas recolectadas. Esta diferencia estuvo fuertemente ligada a la altitud, como lo evidenciaron las correlaciones estadísticas: se observó una relación negativa para R. annulatus (ρ = -0.79, P = 0 .002) y R. bursa (ρ = -0.83, P = 0.001), mientras que se encontró una correlación positiva para H. anatolicum (ρ = 0.67, P = 0.015). El modelo estadístico que integraba únicamente la altitud y la zona bioclimática explicó el 69 % de la varianza observada, demostrando así el papel decisivo de estos factores abióticos. Sin embargo, el sexo del caballo (yegua vs. macho) no mostró ninguna relación significativa con el riesgo de infestación (p = 0.741).
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