Ectoparasites of small mammals: ecology, infection and management in the changing world

Small mammals are one of the most successful and diverse groups of mammals which inhabit a wide range of habitats in different area of the world, and most of them are rodents. Small mammals with their arthropod ectoparasites which live near to human’s inhabitation play a significant role in the transmission of diseases to humans and domestic animals. The transmission of pathogens to humans is influenced by climatic variability such as, flooding, change in rainfall pattern and increase in temperature which may cause small mammals with their ectoparasites of disease vectors to be displaced from their natural habitats. As a result, bring them into closer contact with humans and domestic animals which increase potential zoonotic disease transmission. Moreover, climate change may also result changes in human lifestyles, such as an increase in outdoor activities which increase human-wildlife contact leading to potential human exposure for pathogens and their vectors in the small mammals reservoirs. Therefore, identifying the type and extent of vector distributions of public health concern in response to climate change will enable us to deploy better and more accurate management strategies against zoonotic disease spread.