Experimental and Applied Acarology 32: 171–179, 2004.

# 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

Otodectes cynotis (Acari: Psoroptidae):

examination of survival off-the-host under
natural and laboratory conditions

DOMENICO OTRANTO1,*, PIERMARINO MILILLO1, PAOLA MESTO1,

DONATO DE CAPRARIIS1, STEFANIA PERRUCCI2 and GIOIA CAPELLI3
1
Department of Animal Health and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Str. Prov.
per Casamassima Km3, 70010, Valenzano (Bari), Italy; 2Department of Animal Pathology, Prophylaxis
and Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy; 3Department of Experi-
mental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Padua, Italy; *Author for
correspondence (e-mail: d.otranto@veterinaria.uniba.it; phone: þ39-080-4679839)

Received 25 June 2003; accepted in revised form 14 November 2003

Key words: Ear mite, Humidity, Otodectes cynotis, Psoroptidae, Survival, Temperature

Abstract. The biological and environmental factors affecting survival off-the-host of Otodectes cynotis
(Acari: Psoroptidae) ear mites were investigated under natural and laboratory conditions. From No-
vember 2000 to November 2002 mites were collected monthly from cats and divided into four groups
according to sex and stage. In laboratory conditions, the mites were placed in an incubator with a steady
95% relative humidity (r.h.), at 10 8C. All the plates were examined by stereomicroscopy every 24 h until
all the mites had died. The data were analysed statistically by multiple linear regression and survival
analysis. At 10 8C, the maximum survival time of mites was between 15 and 17 days, while at 34 8C, it
was between 5 and 6 days. The maximum survival time of adult females was significantly longer than
that of other stages. No differences were observed in maximum survival times of mites that had been
offered food and those that had not, or in the time (in days) to reach 50% mortality (LT50). When
exposed to environmental conditions, the maximum survival time (12 days) was observed at tempera-
tures ranging from 12.3 to 14.2 8C and r.h.s between 57.6 and 82.9%. Multiple regression analysis
showed that temperature alone influenced the maximum survival time and LT50 of mites, and that the
rate of survival declined linearly with increasing mean temperature. This basic understanding of off-host
survival suggests that, places which have been inhabited by infected animals may need to be disinfected
or remain vacated for at least 12 days before occupancy by clean cats or dogs.

Introduction

The obligatory, non-burrowing mite Otodectes cynotis (Acari: Psoroptidae), in-

fects the ear canal of carnivores (e.g., dogs, cats, ferrets, foxes) and, occasionally,
humans. The life-cycle occurs entirely within the animal’s ear, where O. cynotis
goes through four stages (egg, larva, proto- and trito-nymph, adult) in about 3
weeks (Sweatman 1958). Reports of the presence of ear mites in different regions
of the host body (e.g., head, feet and tip of the tail) are scant, with little reference to
possible transmission from these sites (Tonn 1961; Baker 1974; Kraft et al. 1988).
Otodectes cynotis is responsible worldwide for 50–84% of all diagnosed cases of
otitis externa of cats (Scott et al. 1995). Clinical symptoms occur, often with
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different degrees of pruritus. This leads to scratching or rubbing of the ears and
violent shaking of the head (Berg and Shomer 1963).
Suckling kittens and puppies are presumed to acquire the infection from their
dams and since otocariasis is highly contagious, entire litters may be affected
(Scott et al. 1995). However there has been no proven association between oto-
cariasis and age, sexual activity and life-style of clinically normal cats (Sotiraki
et al. 2001).
Treatment of otocariasis includes the mechanical cleaning of the ear canal
followed by the application of products containing acaricides, antibiotics and
synthetic corticosteroids (Pappas and Kartz 1995; Scherk-Nixon et al. 1997) or
various formulations of macrocyclic lactone such as selamectin (Shanks et al.
2000). No treatment has been suggested for the control of otocariasis in the
environment (kennels and catteries) where infected animals live, since there is no
evidence that the transmission occurs via the environment. Until now the only
recognised pathway for ear mite transmission was by direct contact with infected
animals.
The off-the-host survival of mites has been investigated since the 19th century
(reported by O’Brien et al. 1994) and, more recently, for Psoroptes ovis, P. cuniculi
and Chorioptes bovis mites (Wilson et al. 1977; Arlian et al. 1981; Liebisch et al.
1985; O’Brien et al. 1994; Smith et al. 1999). The retention of infectivity in the
environment of P. ovis has also been demonstrated (Wilson et al. 1977; O’Brien
et al. 1994). The survival of Psoroptes mites was shown to be more strongly
influenced by temperature than humidity, with mites surviving longer at lower
temperatures (Wilson et al. 1977; Liebisch et al. 1985; O’Brien et al. 1994; Smith
et al. 1999). The longevity of mites was not affected by the materials (i.e., wood,
glass, metal, stone, rubber, plastic and food) in which they were placed nor if they
were offered food (Liebisch et al. 1985; Smith et al. 1999).
Despite the substantial amount of data for Psoroptes spp. and Chorioptes spp.
both genera of Psoroptidae, no data on the survival off-the-host is available for O.
cynotis. The aim of this work therefore was to investigate the biological and en-
vironmental factors affecting the off-host survival of O. cynotis ear mites under
natural and laboratory conditions.

Materials and methods

Sampling and identification procedures

From November 2000 to November 2002, ear mites were collected monthly from
the ears of four cats (two females and two males), then aged 6–10 months at the
beginning of the trial and, from May 2001, from two, then 2-month-old kittens
(males). Cats living outdoors and coming from the same colony (province of
Brindisi, southern Italy), were found to be affected by otocariasis, the month before
the beginning of the trial. None of the cats were treated for endo- or ecto-parasites
throughout the trial period.
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Mites were collected from all animals by swabbing alternative ears, each month,
to maintain the infection. After sampling, the cotton swabs were placed in
60  15 mm Petri dishes and immediately delivered to the laboratory.
The mites were identified and grouped according to sex and stage: males (M),
females (F), nymphs (N) and larvae (L), following the morphological description of
Sweatman (1958). For each stage, a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 51 mites
were collected throughout the period of observation, with the exception of May
2001 and May 2002, when no mites and only 12 mites, respectively, were collected
from the cats.
After their identification under the stereomicroscope, the various life-cycle stages
were placed in different Petri dishes. The Petri dish lids had a 5 mm hole covered by
a fine cotton wool pad compressed and attached by white adhesive tape on the
inside and outside, in an attempt to ensure that the humidity inside the chamber was
equal to the atmospheric humidity.

Survival trials in the laboratory and the natural environment

Under laboratory conditions, Petri dishes, containing different life-cycle stages,

were placed in two incubators maintained at 95% relative humidity (r.h.), one at
10 8C the other at 34 8C. One group of mites were offered hairs, cerumen and skin
material as a food source, the other group was offered no food.
From November 2000 to November 2002, mites were exposed in an outdoor
environment in closed Petri dishes. A thermo-hygrometer (Salmoiraghi mod. 1750/
2) was used to monitor r.h. and temperature.
All plates were examined by stereomicroscopy every 24 h, following the initial
transfer of the mites until all the mites had died. Lack of natural movement, even
when stimulated with a needle, was considered indicative of death.

Statistical analysis

The maximum survival time and the number of days to reach 50% mortality (LT50)
were calculated. Comparisons between mean mite survival in ambient versus la-
boratory conditions, related to life-cycle stage and sex, by variance analysis
(ANOVA), using the Bonferroni test for post hoc comparison.
In addition, relationships between maximum survival time or LT50, minimum,
maximum and average temperatures and r.h. were analysed using multiple re-
gression. Ninety-six records were examined.
Records were also made of survival time in days for each mite (n ¼ 1260). Those
data were used to calculate the median survival for each year and month according
to the life-cycle stage, and to plot the survival function.
Statistical analyses were performed by using SPSS for Windows, version 11.0
and p < 0.05 was used to indicate statistical significance.
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Figure 1. Mean maximum survival time in field conditions broken down by mite life stage (November
2000 – November 2002).

Results

Laboratory conditions

Mites kept at 10 8C had a significantly higher mean survival rate (11 days) than
either mites kept at 34 8C (4.14 days) or under field conditions (6.16 days). Max-
imum survival time was also higher for mites kept at 10 8C (17 days) than either
mites kept at 34 8C (6 days) or under field conditions (12 days). No differences
were observed in maximum survival time or LT50 between mites offered food or
those offered no food.

Normal conditions

During the observation period, mean environmental temperatures ranged between

9.9 8C (December 2001) and 27.5 8C (July 2001) and r.h. levels ranged from 39.3%
(July 2001) to 88.3% (January 2001). Mean survival of adult females (6.79 days)
was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than other life stages (adult males ¼ 5.95 days,
nymphs ¼ 6.27 days and larvae ¼ 5.93 days). All mites moved about independently
 175

Figure 2. Mean mortality (LT50) in field conditions broken down by mite life stage (November 2000 –
November 2002).

of mechanical stimulation until the third to fourth day while later, movements
decreased even when the mites were mechanically stimulated.
At temperatures of between 12.3 and 14.2 8C and r.h. between 57.6 and 82.9%, a
maximum survival time at 12 days was recorded, while the minimum survival time
5 days was reported at temperatures between 18.4 and 27.5 8C and r.h. between 39.3
and 62% (Figures 1 and 2).
Adult females and nymphs had a higher mean maximum survival time (9 days)
than adult males and larvae (8 days); adult females had also a higher mean LT50 (6
days) than other mites (5 days). No differences were detected in the percentage of
survivorship throughout the 2 years of observation (Figure 3).
Multiple regression analysis showed that only temperature influenced the max-
imum survival time and LT50 of mites, and the rate of survival declined linearly
with increasing mean temperatures (Figure 4). In particular, increased mean tem-
peratures were significantly (p < 0.01) related to decreased maximum survival time
of adult females (r2 ¼ 0.34), nymphs (r2 ¼ 0.625) and larvae (r2 ¼ 0.351). Increased
minimum temperatures were significantly (p < 0.01) related to decreased maximum
survival time of adult males (r2 ¼ 0.71) and decreased LT50 of both adult males
(r2 ¼ 0.641) and adult females (r2 ¼ 0.588). Relative humidity was never a relevant
factor in the final linear regression models, with the exception of a minimal in-
fluence on the LT50 of males.
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Figure 3. Comparison between the percentages of maximum survival time of all life stages of O.
cynotis during the 2-year field observations (1,0 ¼ 100 %).

Discussion

Despite the substantial amount of data available on the off-host survival of other
Psoroptidae mites (Wilson et al. 1977; O’Brien et al. 1994; Smith et al. 1999) and
the retention of infectivity (Wilson et al. 1977; O’Brien et al. 1994), no in-
vestigations have been carried out on O. cynotis, and the role of the environment in
the transmission of ear mites may have been underestimated.
The results reported here were obtained from ear mites collected from cats,
which may differ from mites collected from dogs, as previously observed for P.
ovis collected from cattle (Liebisch et al. 1985) and/or sheep (O’Brien et al.
1994). In any case, the adaptability of mites to different species of host ears seems
to be attributable to individual factors rather than the species of Otodectes
(Sweatman 1958; Kraft et al. 1988; Baker 1999). In fact, while in the past dif-
ferent sub species of O. cynotis were described (i.e., canis, cati and furoni),
morphological, biological (Tonn 1961) and molecular studies (Lohse et al. 2002)
indicated no specificity among carnivore host species. There is good reason to
assume that the results of this trial are applicable not only to the ear mites of cats
but also of dogs, nevertheless factors such as micro climate due to ear morphology
may influence the course and severity of the disease rather than the species of
animal infected.
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Figure 4. Maximum survival of mites in outdoor environments according to mean temperature. The
line indicates the rate of decrease in survival with increasing temperature (r2 ¼ 0.48; y ¼ 12.9160.231x;
p < 0.001).

The maximum survival time of O. cynotis was 12 days under natural conditions
at temperatures between 12.3 and 14.2 8C, while the minimum survival time was 5
days at 18.4–27.5 8C, thus confirming that the rate of survival declined linearly with
increasing mean temperatures. The LT50 and maximum survival time rates of
Otodectes are highly influenced by temperature (Figure 4), while humidity does not
affect these parameters as previously observed in both field and laboratory condi-
tions (Wilson et al. 1977; O’Brien et al. 1994; Smith et al. 1999). No correlations
emerged between seasonality and survival time, apart from observing that tem-
perature influences the survival of mites. This may have been due to the unusually
high temperatures reported during the winter months (e.g., December 2000: max-
imum temperature 31 8C, minimum 6 8C, average 12.8 8C) or the fluctuating tem-
peratures registered during the other months.
On the whole, the off-host survival times for Otodectes reported in our study are
similar to those reported for Psoroptes in both laboratory (Smith et al. 1999) and
field conditions (Wilson et al. 1977; O’Brien et al. 1994).
The results of studies conducted in the environment on the off-host survival of
Psoroptidae mites differ according to the species examined, the host from which
they were collected, and the methods used. It has been demonstrated that P. ovis
survives off-the-host for 12–17 days under natural conditions (Wilson et al. 1977;
O’Brien et al. 1994), and P. ovis and P. cuniculi in laboratory condition (95% of
178

humidity and 9 8C), survive for 15 days (Smith et al. 1999). The finding by Liebisch
et al. (1985) of a maximum survival time of 48 days in P. ovis collected from cattle
and kept at similar temperatures (i.e., 95% humidity and 9 8C) is much higher than
the figures reported in this and other studies (Wilson et al. 1977; O’Brien et al.
1994; Smith et al. 1999).
The availability of food did not affect the maximum survival time or the LT50 of
mites, as previously shown for P. ovis and P. cuniculi (Liebisch et al. 1985; Smith
et al. 1999).
As far as the stage of development is concerned, adult females and nymphs have
a higher maximum survival time than adult males and larvae. This finding is similar
to that observed in laboratory conditions by Smith et al. (1999) and can be ex-
plained by the fact that adult females have greater metabolic resources and thicker
chitinisation than males, protecting them against desiccation (Liebisch et al. 1985).
Although the retention of infectivity of ear mites kept off-the-host was not in-
vestigated on this occasion, it could be suspected that mites off the host maintain
their infectivity for a period of 3–4 days, based on the duration of significant
activity even without mechanical stimulation (3–4 days). This hypothesis is based
on previous reports for P. ovis, where a high activity of mites was related to a
retention of their infectivity for 15 days during all seasons (O’Brien et al. 1994).
Understanding the off-host survival of Otodectes ear mites may be of great
practical importance with respect to the control and prevention of ear mange.
Vacated premises, cages for transporting pets which may have been used by in-
fected animals or even grooming equipment used on infected animals, may all
constitute a source of infection and require disinfection or containers to be kept
vacant for at least 12 days, to be sure that habitats are free of ear mites. Further-
more, a more in-depth basic understanding of mite survival off-the-host may pro-
vide valuable information for acaricide screening.

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Dermot O’Brien (Central Veterinary Research Laboratory of

Abbotstown, Ireland) for his constructive criticism and suggestions.

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