Incidence, identification and molecular based characterisation of spiny rat mite, Echinolaelaps echidninus (Berlese 1887) (Dermanyssoidea: Laelapidae) isolated from synanthropic rodents

Morphological features alone are not sufficient to distinguish a species from its congeners. Molecular analysis can be very helpful in identifying and distinguishing morphologically indeterminate species. Current communication concerns with 28 S rRNA-based molecular and phylogenetic characterization of mites. In this study, the mites were isolated from anthropogenic rodents of two species namely Rattus rattus (201) and Bandicota bengalensis (90) live trapped in domestic and peridomestic areas in the Punjab province of India. Overall, 20.27% of the rodents (n = 59) were found to be infested with one species of mite (n = 73), and the prevalence rate was higher in R. rattus (21.40%) as compared to B. bengalensis (17.80%). The infestation intensity and ectoparasite indices were 1.24 and 0.24, respectively. Based on the morphology, the mite was identified as Echinolaelaps sp. Further credentials were confirmed through PCR amplification of 28 S rRNA gene which showed a single band of approximately 390 bp. Compared to the sequences of Echinolaelaps species available worldwide, this isolate showed 100% nucleotide identity to the E. echidninus sequence available in the NCBI GenBank (MT813463) in Malta (Europe). The generated query sequence was submitted to GenBank (LC626772) and the phylogenetic tree was constructed using the maximum likelihood method. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of molecular characterization in the identification of the mite in question, as well as insight into the unobserved pervasiveness of the mite species concerning public health implications.