Mesostigmatid mites associated with the house shrew, Suncus murinus, in Rangoon, Burma.

In Rangoon and vicinity Suncus murinus comprises almost 20% of the small mammal population with almost equal load of mesostigmatid mites compared to murine rodents. Suncus murinus was infected by four species of laelapids, out of which L. myonyssognathus seems to infest more on urban S. murinus. The infestation of the free living Androlaelaps or Hypoaspis species is higher on the rural shrews while the Cheyletus species is higher on the urban than the rural S. murinus.

Mesostigmatid mites associated with three Rattus species collected in Rangoon, Burma.

Examination of 909 female mesostigmatid mites of 247 samples collected from Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus and R. exulans in Rangoon, Burma found 8 species present: Laelaps echidnina, L. nuttalli, L. myonyssognathus, Laelaps sp. A and B of Allred 1970, L. wittei, Liponyssoides muris and Ornithonyssus bacoti.

The host/parasite relationships of Xenopsylla astia and X. cheopis on Bandicota bengalensis in Rangoon, Burma.

In Rangoon, Burma, over half the commensal B. bengalensis taken in live traps were found to be infested with Xenopsylla species fleas. X. astia infestations were twice as common as those of the classic plague vector X. cheopis. In terms of absolute numbers X. astia outnumbered X. cheopis by 10 to 1. X. astia was more commonly found as a monospecific infestation, and X. cheopis was more commonly found mixed with X. astia. The flea indicies were high, with a specific index of 2.4 for X. cheopis and 10.2 for X. astia. The flea indicies and flea sex ratios remained stable across the host population and could not be correlated to changes in the head and body length of the host and were not different on male or female hosts. The evidence of this and other surveys is that X. cheopis is not as well adapted for parasitism on free ranging B. bengalensis as is X. astia.