Parasite in peril? A new species of mite in the genus Ophiomegistus Banks (Parasitiformes: Paramegistidae) on an endangered host,the pygmy bluetongue lizard Tiliqua adelaidensis (Peters) (Squamata: Scincidae)

Host‐parasite relationships are generally understudied in wild populations but have a potential to influence host population dynamics and the broader ecosystem, which becomes particularly important when the host is endangered. Herein we describe a new species of parasitic mite from the genus Ophiomegistus (Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata: Paramegistidae) of an endangered South Australian skink; the pygmy bluetongue lizard (Tiliqua adelaidensis). Adult mites were observed on lizard hosts in three different host populations, among which prevalence varied. No temporal trend in prevalence was evident over two spring‐summer seasons of monitoring. We hypothesise that the reliance on burrows as refuges by T. adelaidensis may be essential for the completion of the mite life cycle and also for horizontal transmission. The conservation implications of not only its effect on the host, but also its potential status as an endangered species itself, are considered.     

Infestations of Ornithonyssus bursa,a haemotophagous mite,on starlings over the non-breeding season

Abstract

Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese) (Dermanyssidae) is found in nests and neotboxes and on nestlings of the starling (Sturnus vulgaris L.), sometimes in large numbers, during the breeding season. During the non-breeding season the nestboxes and nest material are devoid of live mites. O. bursa overwinters ectoparasitically on starlings, and is present on approximately 25% of the population at the beginning of the breeding season. These nucleus populations build up rapidly in nest boxes during the breeding season.     

Predicting the Potential Role of Non-human Hosts in Zika Virus Maintenance

Arboviruses are often maintained in complex cycles involving vertebrates such as mammals or birds and blood-feeding mosquitoes. However, the role of wildlife hosts in their emergence or re-emergence in human populations has received little attention. The recent emergence of Zika virus in America, and previous occurrences of chikungunya and dengue, forces us to confront a potential new disease-emergence phenomenon. Using a spatial data mining framework to identify potential biotic interactions, based on the degree of co-occurrence between different species, we identified those mammal species with the highest potential for establishing mammal–vector interactions, considering as principal vector Aedes aegypti. Seven of the top ten identified mammal species with highest potential were bats, with two of them having previously been confirmed as positive hosts for dengue in Mexico. We hope that this will raise interest of Mexican public health authorities and academic institutions to assess the role of wild hosts in the maintenance and spread of arboviruses.     

Marked host specificity and lack of phylogeographic population structure of Campylobacter jejuni in wild birds

Zoonotic pathogens often infect several animal species, and gene flow among populations infecting different host species may affect the biological traits of the pathogen including host specificity, transmissibility and virulence. The bacterium Campylobacter jejuni is a widespread zoonotic multihost pathogen, which frequently causes gastroenteritis in humans. Poultry products are important transmission vehicles to humans, but the bacterium is common in other domestic and wild animals, particularly birds, which are a potential infection source. Population genetic studies of C. jejuni have mainly investigated isolates from humans and domestic animals, so to assess C. jejuni population structure more broadly and investigate host adaptation, 928 wild bird isolates from Europe and Australia were genotyped by multilocus sequencing and compared to the genotypes recovered from 1366 domestic animal and human isolates. Campylobacter jejuni populations from different wild bird species were distinct from each other and from those from domestic animals and humans, and the host species of wild bird was the major determinant of C. jejuni genotype, while geographic origin was of little importance. By comparison, C. jejuni differentiation was restricted between more phylogenetically diverse farm animals, indicating that domesticated animals may represent a novel niche for C. jejuni and thereby driving the evolution of those bacteria as they exploit this niche. Human disease is dominated by isolates from this novel domesticated animal niche.     

Potential impacts on Japanese fauna of canestriniid mites (Acari: Astigmata) accidentally introduced with pet lucanid beetles from Southeast Asia

To develop a risk-assessment system for small organisms accidentally introduced with imported organisms, we investigated as a first case study parasitic canestriniid mites, which have been imported into Japan via pet lucanid beetles from Southeast Asia. We collected mites from pinned specimens of Japanese lucanids collected before 1999—when the Japanese government lifted a ban on the import of the beetles—and living mites from imported and native lucanid beetles collected after that. No foreign canestriniid was found on any of the native Japanese beetles. Because the mites collected from imported beetles were different from Japanese species, we conclude that the foreign mites have not yet established wild populations in Japan. However, because the Japanese mites migrate between hosts without host physical contact, introduced mites are assumed to be able to migrate from a foreign to Japanese host. In fact, possible contamination was observed in pet shops. We observed host switching in only one direction: Southeast Asian Canestrinia nr spectanda switched to Japanese Dorcus rectus, but Japanese Coleopterophagus berlesei never switched to Indonesian D. titanus. The foreign mites reproduced between 15°C and 25°C, suggesting that the mites could survive in mountainous sites in southern Japan and at low elevations in northern Japan. The ability of foreign parasitic canestriniids to infect and survive on Japanese hosts at temperatures characteristic of much of Japan leads us to conclude that these mites present a potential risk to Japanese endemic canestriniids as well as to native Japanese lucanids.     

Evidences of introgression from cultivated rice to Oryza rufipogon (Poaceae) populations based on SSR fingerprinting: implications for wild rice differentiation and conservation

Crop-to-wild introgression may play an important role in evolution of wild species. Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) is of a particular concern because of its cross-compatibility with the wild ancestor, O. rufipogon Griff. The distribution of cultivated rice and O. rufipogon populations is extensively sympatric, particularly in Asia where many wild populations are surrounded by rice fields. Consequently, gene flow from cultivated rice may have a potential to alter genetic composition of wild rice populations in close proximity. In this study, we estimated introgression of cultivated rice with O. rufipogon based on analyses of 139 rice varieties (86 indica and 53 japonica ecotypes) and 336 wild individuals from 11 O. rufipogon populations in China. DNA fingerprinting based on 17 selected rice simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs was adopted to measure allelic frequencies in rice varieties and O. rufipogon samples, and to estimate genetic associations between wild and cultivated rice through cluster analysis. We detected consanguinity of cultivated rice in O. rufipogon populations according to the admixture model of the STRUCTURE program. The analyses showedz that four wild rice populations, DX-P1, DX-P2, GZ-P2, and HL-P, contained some rare alleles that were commonly found in the rice varieties examined. In addition, the four wild rice populations that scattered among the rice varieties in the cluster analysis showed a closer affinity to the cultivars than the other wild populations. This finding supports the contention of substantial gene flow from crop to wild species when these species occur close to each other. The introgressive populations had slightly higher genetic diversity than those that were isolated from rice. Crop-to-wild introgression may have accumulative impacts on genetic variations in wild populations, leading to significant differentiation in wild species. Therefore, effective measure should be taken to avoid considerable introgression from cultivated rice, which may influence the effective in-situ conservation of wild rice species.     

Host specificity in spinturnicid mites: do parasites share a long evolutionary history with their host?

Host specificity in parasites can be explained by spatial isolation from other potential hosts or by specialization and speciation of specific parasite species. The first assertion is based on allopatric speciation, the latter on differential lifetime reproductive success on different available hosts. We investigated the host specificity and cophylogenetic histories of four sympatric European bat species of the genus Myotis and their ectoparasitic wing mites of the genus Spinturnix. We sampled >40 parasite specimens from each bat species and reconstructed their phylogenetic COI trees to assess host specificity. To test for cospeciation, we compared host and parasite trees for congruencies in tree topologies. Corresponding divergence events in host and parasite trees were dated using the molecular clock approach. We found two species of wing mites to be host specific and one species to occur on two unrelated hosts. Host specificity cannot be explained by isolation of host species, because we found individual parasites on other species than their native hosts. Furthermore, we found no evidence for cospeciation, but for one host switch and one sorting event. Host‐specific wing mites were several million years younger than their hosts. Speciation of hosts did not cause speciation in their respective parasites, but we found that diversification of recent host lineages coincided with a lineage split in some parasites.     

Host–parasite interactions and vectors in the barn swallow in relation to climate change

Recent climate change has affected the phenology of numerous species, and such differential changes may affect host–parasite interactions. Using information on vectors (louseflies, mosquitoes, blackflies) and parasites (tropical fowl mite Ornithonyssus bursa, the lousefly Ornithomyia avicularia, a chewing louse Brueelia sp., two species of feather mites Trouessartia crucifera and Trouessartia appendiculata, and two species of blood parasites Leucozytozoon whitworthi and Haemoproteus prognei) of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica collected during 1971–2008, I analyzed temporal changes in emergence and abundance, relationships with climatic conditions, and changes in the fitness impact of parasites on their hosts. Temperature and rainfall during the summer breeding season of the host increased during the study. The intensity of infestation by mites decreased, but increased for the lousefly during 1982–2008. The prevalence of two species of blood parasites increased during 1988–2008. The timing of first mass emergence of mosquitoes and blackflies advanced. These temporal changes in phenology and abundance of parasites and vectors could be linked to changes in temperature, but less so to changes in precipitation. Parasites had fitness consequences for hosts because intensity of the mite and the chewing louse was significantly associated with delayed breeding of the host, while a greater abundance of feather mites was associated with earlier breeding. Reproductive success of the host decreased with increasing abundance of the chewing louse. The temporal decrease in mite abundance was associated with advanced breeding of the host, while the increase in abundance of the lousefly was associated with earlier breeding. Virulence by the tropical fowl mite decreased with increasing temperature, independent of confounding factors. These findings suggest that climate change affects parasite species differently, hence altering the composition of the parasite community, and that climate change causes changes in the virulence of parasites. Because the changing phenology of different species of parasites had both positive and negative effects on their hosts, and because the abundance of some parasites increased, while that of other decreased, there was no consistent temporal change in host fitness during 1971–2008.     

In situ observation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cardinium</Emphasis> symbionts of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brevipalpus</Emphasis> (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) by electron microscopy

Brevipalpus (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) mites are important pests on a variety of host plant species. The mites damage their hosts directly by feeding and some species also serve as vectors of plant viruses. Among more than 200 described Brevipalpus species, three are recognized as vectors of plant viruses: B. phoenicis, B. californicus and B. obovatus. These species occur worldwide in subtropical and tropical regions. Brevipalpus mites reproduce mostly by thelytokous parthenogenesis and this condition was attributed to a bacterial endosymbiont, recently characterized as a member of the genus Cardinium. The same symbiont infects many other arthropods and is capable of manipulating their host reproduction in various ways. Generally the presence of Cardinium is determined by molecular, PCR based, techniques. In the current work we present visual evidence for the presence of these bacteria by transmission electron microscopy as a complement of previous detection by PCR. Cardinium is easily identified by the presence of a unique array of microtubule-like structures (ML) in the cell. Symbionts have been observed in several organs and eggs from different populations of all three Brevipalpus species known as vector of plant viruses. Cardinium cells were always immersed directly within the cytoplasm of infected cells. Bacteria were observed in all females of all instars, but were absent from all males examined. Females from some Brevipalpus populations were observed to be uninfected by Cardinium. This observation confirmed previous PCR-based results that these populations were aposymbiotic. The observed distribution of the bacteria suggests that these bacteria could have other functions in the mite biology beside feminization.     

Diseases of Mites

An overview is given of studies on diseases of mites. Knowledge of diseases of mites is still fragmentary but in recent years more attention has been paid to acaropathogens, often because of the economic importance of many mite species. Most research on mite pathogens concerns studies on fungal pathogens of eriophyoids and spider mites especially. These fungi often play an important role in the regulation of natural mite populations and are sometimes able to decimate populations of phytophagous mites. Studies are being conducted to develop some of these fungi as commercial acaricides.Virus diseases are known in only a few mites, namely, the citrus red mite and the European red mite. In both cases, non-occluded viruses play an important role in the regulation of mite populations in citrus and peach orchards, respectively, but application of these viruses as biological control agents does not seem feasible. A putative iridovirus has been observed in association with Varroa mites in moribund honeybee colonies. The virus is probably also pathogenic for honeybees and may be transmitted to them through this parasitic mite.Few bacteria have been reported as pathogens of the Acari but in recent years research has been concentrated on intracellular organisms such as Wolbachia that may cause distorted sex ratios in offspring and incompatibility between populations. The role of these organisms in natural populations of spider mites is in particular discussed. The effect of Bacillus thuringiensis on mites is also treated in this review, although its mode of action in arthropods is mainly due to the presence of toxins and it is, therefore, not considered to be a pathogen in the true sense of the word.Microsporidia have been observed in several mite species especially in oribatid mites, although other groups of mites may also be affected. In recent years, Microsporidia infections in Phytoseiidae have received considerable attention, as they are often found in mass rearings of beneficial arthropods. They affect the efficacy of these predators as biological control agent of insect and mite pests. Microsporidia do not seem to have potential for biological control of mites.     

Interannual patterns of avian diseases in wild New Zealand avifauna near conservation areas

The past few years have seen a noticeable increase in the emergence of infectious diseases in wildlife, especially vector-borne diseases, presenting a challenge for the conservation of endangered species. One such vector-borne disease, avian malaria (Plasmodium spp.) is on the rise in New Zealand avifauna, threatening bird populations that are among the most extinction-prone in the world. Furthermore, recent reports have outlined an increase in deaths of native iconic bird species specifically due to this disease. In order to help manage breakouts of this pathogen at a local scale, we need a better understanding of potential drivers of the emergence of avian malaria in wild New Zealand avifauna. Here, we set to test the role of climatic drivers in synchronizing contacts between avian hosts and vectors, assess the temporal stability of transmission dynamics between years, and determine the role of introduced species in causing spill-over of this pathogen towards native species. Our study focused on three sites that were sampled regularly during two consecutive years in the austral summer, each site being adjacent to a breeding colony of Yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes). Our results reveal an overall temporal stability of avian malaria incidence patterns, with a decrease in infection throughout the austral summer for both sampled years. Moreover, we highlight a phylogenetic signal among sampled bird species, with introduced species being more heavily infected by avian malaria than their native counterparts. In contrast, we found no effect of the two climatic drivers investigated, temperature and rainfall, on mosquito abundance. Our results suggest a strong effect of alien species acting as reservoirs for diseases spilling-over towards immunologically naïve species, and provide conservation managers with a critical timeframe to control avian malaria breakouts.     

Larvae of chigger mites Neotrombicula spp. (Acari: Trombiculidae) exhibited Borrelia but no Anaplasma infections: a field study including birds from the Czech Carpathians as hosts of chiggers

Chigger mites were collected from 1,080 wild birds of 37 species at Certak (Czech Republic), in the western Carpathian Mountains, from 29 July to 24 September 2005. The prevalence of infestation with chigger larvae was 7%. A total of 325 chigger specimens from 10 bird species was identified and three chigger species were found: Neotrombicula autumnalis, N. carpathica, and N. inopinata, the latter two species being reported on new hosts. Neotrombicula carpathica is reported in the Czech Republic for the first time. A total of 509 chigger larvae found on 79 host specimens were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. DNA (fragments of the rrf (5S)—rrl (23S) intergenic spacer), and Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA (epank1 gene). A fragment of specific Borrelia DNA was amplified through PCR in one sample, and the PCR product was further analyzed by reverse line blotting assay, whereby both genospecies of B. garinii and B. valaisiana were proved. This sample pooled five chigger larvae collected from one Sylvia atricapilla on 11 August 2005. No A. phagocytophilum DNA was amplified. We conclude that larvae of the genus Neotrombicula can be infected with Borrelia genospecies originated from their present or former hosts.     

Knoxdaviesia capensis: dispersal ecology and population genetics of a flower-associated fungus

Protea-associated fungi are dispersed between flower heads by mites, beetles and possibly birds. For the ophiostomatoid fungus, Knoxdaviesia proteae, these vectors offer regular dispersal between distant floral hosts. Unlike K. proteae, Knoxdaviesia capensis occupies multiple Protea host species. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the generalist K. capensis shares the long-distance dispersal pattern with specialist K. proteae and whether it moves freely between different host species. We evaluated the genetic structure of K. capensis from five populations of a wide-spread host and between sympatric hosts. Twelve K. capensis-specific microsatellite markers were developed and applied to 90 individuals. K. capensis showed high genetic diversity and almost maximal genotypic diversity. All populations were poorly differentiated, indicating the presence of long-distance dispersal. No differentiation could be detected between sympatric host populations, suggesting free dispersal between different hosts. This implies that the beetle and bird vectors that pollinate Protea species show the same non-specific movement.     

Wild host plants of four spider mite species (Acari: Tetranychidae) infesting fruit crops in Okinawa

To determine the wild host plants of four major spider mite species infesting fruit crops grown in the subtropical Asian region, we collected and identified mites from non-crop plants throughout the islands of Okinawa, southwestern Japan. Although the two mango pests, Oligonychus coffeae and O. biharensis, are polyphagous, they did not share any wild host species in the field, indicating that their source plants are completely separate in Okinawa. Several major wild hosts were determined for Eutetranychus africanus, a pest of papaya and citrus. Its host range partially overlapped with that of O. biharensis. The citrus red mite, Panonychus citri, was very rare on non-crop plants in Okinawa, suggesting that it maintains its population mainly on the citrus trees in the area. These results are of great significance when considering vegetation control as part of the integrated management of these pest mites. During our survey, two non-pest species, Panonychus caglei (new to Japan) and Oligonychus gotohi (new to Okinawa), were also found.     

Abundances and host relationships of chigger mites in Yunnan Province,China

This paper reports on ectoparasitic chigger mites found on small mammals in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Data were accumulated from 19 investigation sites (counties) between 2001 and 2009. A total of 10 222 small mammal hosts were captured and identified; these represented 62 species, 34 genera and 11 families in five orders. From the body surfaces of these 10 222 hosts, a total of 92 990 chigger mites were collected and identified microscopically. These represented 224 species, 22 genera and three subfamilies in the family Trombiculidae (Trombidiformes). Small mammals were commonly found to be infested by chigger mites and most host species harboured several species of mite. The species diversity of chigger mites in Yunnan was much higher than diversities reported previously in other provinces of China and in other countries. A single species of rodent, Eothenomys miletus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), carried 111 species of chigger mite, thus demonstrating the highest species diversity and heaviest mite infestation of all recorded hosts. This diversity is exceptional compared with that of other ectoparasites. Of the total 224 mite species, 21 species accounted for 82.2% of all mites counted. Two species acting as major vectors for scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease), Leptotrombidium scutellare and Leptotrombidium deliense, were identified as the dominant mite species in this sample. In addition to these two major vectors, 12 potential or suspected vector species were found. Most species of chigger mite had a wide range of hosts and low host specificity. For example, L. scutellare parasitized 30 species of host. The low host specificity of chigger mites may increase their probability of encountering humans, as well as their transmission of scrub typhus among different hosts. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that similarities between different chigger mite communities on the 18 main species of small mammal host did not accord with the taxonomic affinity of the hosts. This suggests that the distribution of chigger mites may be strongly influenced by the environment in which hosts live.     

Is the Cereal Rust Mite, Abacarus Hystrix Really a Generalist? – Testing Colonization Performance on Novel Hosts

The majority of eriophyoid mites are highly host specific and restricted to a narrow range of acceptable host plant species. The cereal rust mite, Abacarus hystrix was considered to be one of a few exceptions among them and has been found to be using a relatively wide host range. Since this species is a vagrant, inhabiting short-lived plants and aerially dispersing, it has commonly been considered to be a host generalist. Here the opposite hypothesis is tested, that host populations of A. hystrix are specialized on their local host plants and may represent host races. For this purpose, females from two host populations (quack grass, Agropyron repens and ryegrass, Lolium perenne) were transferred, and subsequently reared, on their normal (grass species from which females came from) and novel (other grass species) hosts. The female's fitness was assessed by survival and fecundity on the normal and novel host. Females of both populations had no success in the colonization of the novel host. They survived significantly better and had significantly higher fecundity on their normal host than on the novel one. These findings correspond with observations on host-dependent phenotype variability and host acceptance. The presence of locally specialized host populations in A. hystrix may be evidence for high host specificity among eriophyoids and the viruses they transmit. The main conclusion is that A. hystrix, which so far has been considered as a host generalist, in fact may be a complex species consisting of highly specialized host races.     

Diverse Wild Bird Host Range of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in Eastern North America

Emerging infectious diseases often result from pathogens jumping to novel hosts. Identifying possibilities and constraints on host transfer is therefore an important facet of research in disease ecology. Host transfers can be studied for the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum, predominantly a pathogen of poultry until its 1994 appearance and subsequent epidemic spread in a wild songbird, the house finch Haemorhous mexicanus and some other wild birds. We screened a broad range of potential host species for evidence of infection by M. gallisepticum in order to answer 3 questions: (1) is there a host phylogenetic constraint on the likelihood of host infection (house finches compared to other bird species); (2) does opportunity for close proximity (visiting bird feeders) increase the likelihood of a potential host being infected; and (3) is there seasonal variation in opportunity for host jumping (winter resident versus summer resident species). We tested for pathogen exposure both by using PCR to test for the presence of M. gallisepticum DNA and by rapid plate agglutination to test for the presence of antibodies. We examined 1,941 individual birds of 53 species from 19 avian families. In 27 species (15 families) there was evidence for exposure with M. gallisepticum although conjunctivitis was very rare in non-finches. There was no difference in detection rate between summer and winter residents, nor between feeder birds and species that do not come to feeders. Evidence of M. gallisepticum infection was found in all species for which at least 20 individuals had been sampled. Combining the present results with those of previous studies shows that a diverse range of wild bird species may carry or have been exposed to M. gallisepticum in the USA as well as in Europe and Asia.     

Proposed vector candidate: Leptotrombidium palpale for Shimokoshi type Orientia tsutsugamushi

To identify the vector species for Shimokoshi type Orientia tsutsugamushi, a survey of larval trombiculid mites was conducted in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan from April to May 2012. In all, 2889 larval trombiculid mites were obtained from 21 Apodemus speciosus rodent hosts, 2600 of which were morphologically classified into eight species in three genera. After screening of O. tsutsugamushi DNA in individual larval trombiculid mites using real‐time PCR targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, serotype‐specific nested PCRs targeting the 56 kDa protein gene were performed, followed by sequencing analysis. As a result, Shimokoshi type O. tsutsugamushi DNA was identified from 3 (1.9%) of 157 Leptotrombidium palpale. This is the first study to identify Shimokoshi type O. tsutsugamushi DNA in L. palpale. The results indicate that L. palpale is a possible vector for Shimokoshi type O. tsutsugamushi.     

Evolutionary adaptation to host plants in a laboratory population of the phytophagous mite Tetranychus urticae Koch

Summary For evolutionary expansion of host range to occur in an herbivore population, genetic variation in ability to survive on and/or accept new hosts must be present. To determine whether a population of the phytophagous mite Tetranychus urticae contained such variation, I established lines from the population on two hosts on which mites initially showed both high juvenile mortality and low acceptance, tomato and broccoli. In less than ten generations, mites from the line kept on each host showed both lower mortality and greater acceptance on it than mites from a control line kept on lima bean, a favorable host for T. urticae. Host acceptance was measured by the proportion of mites attempting to disperse from leaves of the host. The line kept on tomato but not the one kept on broccoli also increased in development rate on its host. These results and those of a similar previous experiment on cucumber indicate that T. urticae populations can adapt to a diversity of initially unfavorable hosts. T. urticae populations therefore should be able to respond to temporal and spatial variation in host availability by adapting to the most abundant hosts.     

Adaptive population structure shifts in invasive parasitic mites,Varroa destructor

Comparative studies of genetic diversity and population structure can shed light on the ecological and evolutionary factors governing host–parasite interactions. Even though invasive parasites are considered of major biological importance, little is known about their adaptative potential when infesting the new hosts. Here, the genetic diversification of Varroa destructor, a novel parasite of Apis mellifera originating from Asia, was investigated using population genetics to determine how the genetic structure of the parasite changed in distinct European populations of its new host. To do so, mites infesting two categories of hosts in four European regions were compared: (a) adapted hosts surviving through means of natural selection, thereby expected to impose strong selective pressure on the mites, and (b) treated host populations, surviving mite infestations because acaricides are applied, therefore characterized by a relaxed selection imposed by the host on the mites. Significant genetic divergence was found across regions, partially reflecting the invasion pattern of V. destructor throughout Europe and indicating local adaptation of the mite to the host populations. Additionally, varying degrees of genotypic changes were found between mites from adapted and treated colonies. Altogether, these results indicate that V. destructor managed to overcome the genetic bottlenecks following its introduction in Europe and that host‐mediated selection fostered changes in the genetic structure of this mite at diverse geographic scales. These findings highlight the potential of parasites to adapt to their local host populations and confirm that adaptations developed within coevolutionary dynamics are a major determinant of population genetic changes.