Generalized knemidokoptic mange (Micnemidocoptes sp.) in a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from Arkansas, USA

Jomari Rivera Reyes; C Robert Stilz; Raquel Francisco; Jillian R Broadhurst; Taylor A Pearson; Nicole M Nemeth; Victoria A Andreasen; Jennifer R Ballard; Samantha E J Gibbs; Thomas Young; Michael J Yabsley

doi:10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101187

Generalized knemidokoptic mange (Micnemidocoptes sp.) in a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from Arkansas, USA

Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2025 Jan:57:101187. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101187. Epub 2024 Dec 14.

Affiliations

¹ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
² Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
³ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
⁴ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
⁵ Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Research Division, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
⁶ Wildlife Health Office, National Wildlife Refuge System, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Chiefland, Florida 32626, USA.
⁷ Arkansas Native Plant and Wildlife Center, 3107 Westmoreland Dr., Mena, AR 71953, USA.
⁸ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. Electronic address: myabsley@uga.edu.

PMID: 39855872
DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101187

Abstract

This report describes a case of generalized knemidokoptic mange caused by Micnemidocoptes sp. in a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). In June 2024, an adult male eagle from Polk County, Arkansas, presented with severe skin disease and in a moribund state. The eagle died soon after capture and postmortem examination revealed extensive skin hyperkeratosis with embedded mites. Molecular analysis of a 632 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene showed the mite was 99.8 % similar to a Micnemidocoptes sp. from a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) in California and these mites grouped together. This represents a large geographic expansion in the known range of this mite in the United States and a novel host. This case highlights the potential health impact of Micnemidocoptes sp. infestations in raptors, emphasizing the need for increased monitoring among eagles and other raptors to better understand the mite's epidemiology and implications for wildlife health.

Keywords: Avian disease; Knemidokoptiasis; Mange; Raptors; Wildlife disease.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Animals
Arkansas
Bird Diseases / diagnosis
Bird Diseases / parasitology
Eagles* / parasitology
Electron Transport Complex IV / analysis
Electron Transport Complex IV / genetics
Fatal Outcome
Male
Mite Infestations* / diagnosis
Mite Infestations* / parasitology
Mite Infestations* / veterinary
Mites* / classification

Substances

Electron Transport Complex IV