Occurrence of ticks and gastrointestinal helminths in the house gecko (Hemidactylus spp) from Dschang in Cameroon

Abstract

House geckos (genus Hemidactylus) are small tropical lizards. Like all vertebrates, house geckos are susceptible to habour parasites which are vectors of some pathogenic agents. Between transition periods end of rainy season (September) and the start of dry season (December)] in 2014, a total of 240 geckos were caught in Dschang in the night using a broom and introduced into a plastic bucket. The bucket was immediately transported to the laboratory and the geckos examined for ecto and gastrointestinal parasites. An overall prevalence of 98.34% was recorded for ectoparasite infestations. Two (2) different genera of ectoparasites were identified: 98.34% Argas (Argasidae) and 24.17% Rhipicephalus (Ixodidae). The start of dry season was more favorable for the development of ectoparasites. Parasitism was not influenced by host sex. The infestation intensities were significantly (P