Integrative taxonomic description of the chewing louse Tricholipeurus lipeuroides infesting Odocoileus virginianus veraecrucis white-tailed deer in Veracruz, Mexico.

Chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) represent a component of the ectoparasite fauna associated with large sized mammals as deers. However, the diversity of chewing louse species infesting deer remains to be fully characterized in the Neotropics. Little is known about the chewing lice infesting the extant fourteen subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Mexico.

Molecular detection of reptile-associated Borrelia in Boa constrictor (Squamata: Boidae) from Veracruz, Mexico.

The reptile-associated Borrelia represent a monophyletic group of bacteria transmitted by several species of hard ticks, which has been reported to only infect amphibians and reptiles in Eurasia and Middle East, however, this bacterial group has not been studied in North America. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of Borrelia spirochetes in blood samples of native reptiles of Mexico. Blood samples were directly obtained from individuals, DNA extractions were performed using Chelex-100.

Rickettsia species in ticks that parasitize amphibians and reptiles: Novel report from Mexico and review of the worldwide record.

Ticks are obligate haematophagous ectoparasites that are associated with a wide range of vertebrate hosts, among them also reptiles and amphibians. They have dynamic ecological interactions with multiple microorganisms, ranging from endosymbionts to pathogens, such as the members of the genus Rickettsia. The aim of this work was to detect Rickettsia in ticks from amphibians and reptiles from southern Mexico by the amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic reconstruction of the gltA and ompA genes, and also to compile all the published records worldwide of Rickettsia associated with ticks attached to reptiles and amphibians, in order to elucidate the host-parasite relationships, and to identify the geographical distribution of each bacterial species.