Identificación del ácaro Lynxacarus radovskyi en pacientes felinos domésticos de la provincia de Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas

Abstract

This research was carried out with the objective of identifying the mite Lynxacarus radovskyi in domestic feline patients attending veterinary clinics in the cantons of Santo Domingo and La Concordia in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. The development of the project was carried out in collaboration with 30 veterinary centers that allowed the evaluation and sampling of their patients, in the period between March and July 2022. The methodology applied refers to a descriptive, non-experimental, qualitative, cross-sectional study; a study that consisted of evaluating 400 domestic cats through two dermatological tests: Trichogram and acetate tape to take samples from three specific body areas: dorsum of the neck, base of the tail and perianal area for each diagnostic technique applied, where 6 samples were collected for each patient, being processed 2400 samples in total. As a result, a frequency of 53.5% (214/400) of positive cases of the total population studied was obtained; of the 214 patients diagnosed, it was determined that 31.7% presented dermatological clinical signs, while the remaining 68.22% had subclinical parasitic disease. Pearson's correlation determined that there was no statistical association between the variables sex and coat length with respect to the frequency of L. radovskyi according to the reported values of p=0.916 and p=0.302, respectively; in turn, of the infested felines, 30.5% were females, and 40.25% were short-haired patients. According to the evaluation of the effectiveness of the complementary methods applied and the diagnosis of the disease, no statistical significance was reported (p=0.968); however, the imprinting method allowed a higher diagnosis of the dermatosis with 51.63%. Similarly, the area of choice for sampling was evaluated, in which a statistical significance of p= 0.0001 was obtained, which attributes that the diagnosis of L. radovskyi will depend on the area to be sampled, concluding that the body area with a high probability of detection of the parasite is the perianal area. The results provided by the research, given the high prevalence rate of L. radovskyi demonstrated, describe the importance of considering this external parasite among the differential diagnoses in cases of parasitic dermatopathies; and based on the scarce bibliographic reports in Ecuador, the need for further research to contribute with updated information on the distribution of the pathology prevails.