scholarly journals Changes in the occurrence range of hosts cause the expansion of the ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) in Poland

Biologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Karbowiak

AbstractThe turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries brought changes in the range of many pathogens and their vectors. An example is the Dermacentor reticulatus tick. So far, relatively not numerous, their range of occurrence was divided into two areas—western European and eastern. An increase in the number and spread of this tick has been observed since the 1990s. Possible causes may be changes in the average summer and winter temperature in Europe and changes in the structure and use of agricultural land and forest areas. Changes in the distribution and abundance of mammals which are the main hosts of adult ticks, such as elk Alces alces, red deer Cervus elaphus, raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides and the red fox Vulpes vulpes, may be important factors as well. Increase in the size of the hosts populations correlates with the subsequent increase in numbers and the emergence of new tick populations. The food base of adult ornate dog ticks is a large herbivorous mammal population. Predatory mammals can support the expansion of the ticks. The expansion of the raccoon dog in the west correlates with the emergence of new D. reticulatus populations west to the previous border of the eastern range of their occurrence. The intrusion of foxes into inhabited areas may be a synanthropic factor that supports the rise of new tick populations in urban agglomerations.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Jankowiak ◽  
Anna W. Malecha ◽  
Agata J. Krawczyk

AbstractHuman food waste is considered to be richer in carbohydrates, lipids and proteins than most natural food supplies; however, it is very well digested in scats. So, as an indication of this kind of food in the diet, we have used each indigestible, anthropogenic origin element found in faeces (e.g., glass, plastic, rubber, etc.). There are few studies discussing the importance of garbage in the diet of mammalian predators living in farmland; definitely, most focus on this issue in urban areas. We studied the contribution of garbage in the diet of raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), marten (Martessp.), polecat (Mustela putorius), stoat (Mustela erminea), American mink (Neovison vison) and Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in the agricultural areas of western Poland in 2006-2010. In addition, we examined the spatial changes in the diet of red fox and polecat. The largest contribution of garbage was found in scats of raccoon dog (8.8%), red fox (4.8%) and marten (4.3%). The diet of polecat, stoat and Eurasian otter contained 2.5%, 1.7% and 0.2% garbage items respectively. The most frequent item was plastic. Our analysis showed that garbage consumption by red fox and polecat was greater closer to human settlements. The results reveal a continuous gradient in the garbage consumption that corresponds with the degree of synanthropization of particular species.


Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Makunin ◽  
Svetlana Romanenko ◽  
Violetta Beklemisheva ◽  
Polina Perelman ◽  
Anna Druzhkova ◽  
...  

B chromosomes (Bs) represent a variable addition to the main karyotype in some lineages of animals and plants. Bs accumulate through non-Mendelian inheritance and become widespread in populations. Despite the presence of multiple genes, most Bs lack specific phenotypic effects, although their influence on host genome epigenetic status and gene expression are recorded. Previously, using sequencing of isolated Bs of ruminants and rodents, we demonstrated that Bs originate as segmental duplications of specific genomic regions, and subsequently experience pseudogenization and repeat accumulation. Here, we used a similar approach to characterize Bs of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) and the Chinese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides procyonoides Gray). We confirm the previous findings of the KIT gene on Bs of both species, but demostrate an independent origin of Bs in these species, with two reused regions. Comparison of gene ensembles in Bs of canids, ruminants, and rodents once again indicates enrichment with cell-cycle genes, development-related genes, and genes functioning in the neuron synapse. The presence of B-chromosomal copies of genes involved in cell-cycle regulation and tissue differentiation may indicate importance of these genes for B chromosome establishment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Szewczyk ◽  
Joanna Werszko ◽  
Anna W. Myczka ◽  
Zdzisław Laskowski ◽  
Grzegorz Karbowiak

Abstract Background Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate parasitic intracellular bacterium. It is the causative agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis, with effects on human and animal health. In Europe, the pathogen is mainly transmitted among a wide range of vertebrate hosts by blood-sucking arthropods. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of A. phagocytophilum in wild carnivores, viz raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), badgers (Meles meles), foxes (Vulpes vulpes), martens (Martes sp.) and European polecats (Mustela putorius), using molecular methods. Methods In the present study, 174 spleen samples were collected from adult, wild carnivores hunted in the years 2013–2016. A short fragment (383 bp) of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene partial sequence was used as a marker to identify A. phagocytophilum in spleen samples collected from carnivores using nested PCR. Results The prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in wild carnivores was 31.61% (55/174). Seven sequences of A. phagocytophilum were generated from two raccoon dogs, two badgers, one marten, one red fox and one European polecat. Six identical nucleotide sequences were obtained from one raccoon dog, two badgers, one marten, one red fox and one European polecat (A. phagocytophilum sequences 1: MH328205–MH328209, MH328211), and these were identical to many A. phagocytophilum sequences in the GenBank database (100% similarity). The second sequence (A. phagocytophilum sequence 2: MH328210) obtained from the raccoon dog shared 99.74% identity with A. phagocytophilum sequence 1. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to use molecular methods to determine the presence of A. phagocytophilum in wild carnivores, viz raccoon dog, badger, marten and European polecat, in Poland. The detected A. phagocytophilum sequences (1 and 2) were closely related with those of A. phagocytophilum occurring in a wide range of wild and domestic animals and vectors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Elmeros ◽  
Dorthe Malene Götz Mikkelsen ◽  
Louise Solveig Nørgaard ◽  
Cino Pertoldi ◽  
Trine Hammer Jensen ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 655-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Schwarz ◽  
Astrid Sutor ◽  
Christoph Staubach ◽  
Roswitha Mattis ◽  
Kirsten Tackmann ◽  
...  

Abstract Human alveolar echinococcosis, caused by the larval stage of the small fox tapeworm, is a lethal zoonotic infection if left untreated. E. multilocularis is distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and lives in the small intestines of carnivores, mainly canids. The main definitive host of E. multilocularis in European countries is the red fox Vulpes vulpes and in the last ten years new endemic areas for the parasite in Central Europe have been identified. In some areas, for instance in Germany, the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides - a spreading neozoon - must be regarded as an additional definitive host for E. multilocularis. In 2001 this parasite was found for the first time in raccoon dogs in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany. Between 2000 and 2008, 1,252 raccoon dogs from Brandenburg were examined by the Intestinal Scraping Technique. The majority of samples were obtained in five northern counties and all 60 animals that tested positive for E. multilocularis were located there. The estimated true prevalence calculated by a beta-binomial- model ranged from 6%–12%.


2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenijus Jurgelėnas ◽  
Linas Daugnora ◽  
Eglė Monastyreckienė ◽  
Linas Balčiauskas

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 13951-13959
Author(s):  
Michael Hoffmann ◽  
Alexei Abramov ◽  
Hoang Minh Duc ◽  
Le Trong Trai ◽  
Barney Long ◽  
...  

Four species of wild canids are documented as occurring in Vietnam: Dhole Cuon alpinus, Eurasian Golden Jackal Canis aureus, Red Fox Vulpes vulpes and Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes procyonoides.  Except for Dhole, all species are widely distributed globally and are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.  Concerned by the paucity of recent records of these species from Vietnam, especially in the context of rapidly declining mammal populations in the country in general, we undertook a review of the status of these species in Vietnam.  All traceable and potentially verifiable canid records from 01 January 2002 until 31 December 2018 were collated and reviewed.  The Dhole, formerly the most widely distributed of all canid species in Vietnam, and Raccoon Dog, apparently formerly widely distributed in the northern part of the country, appear to have both declined; Dhole is now either extirpated, or close to extirpation, while Raccoon Dog is of uncertain status.  The Eurasian Golden Jackal does not seem to have been reliably observed in the wild since 2004, although it is possible the species may persist in some areas.  Red Fox has only ever been known from a handful of records, and the current status of this species is unknown. In summary, Vietnam cannot be considered to sustain healthy populations of any of its four native wild canid species. These declines seem largely attributable to hunting of both the canids themselves and, for Dhole, their prey base, exacerbated by habitat loss.   


2021 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 1781-1788
Author(s):  
Olaf Ciebiera ◽  
Andżelina Łopińska ◽  
Grzegorz Gabryś

AbstractTicks (Acari: Ixodida) are well known external parasites of game animals that cause serious veterinary and medical problems. The occurrence and geographical distribution of different species of ticks in Western Poland have changed over the last decades. The purpose of the present study was to determine the species spectrum and prevalence of ticks parasitizing three species of game animals, the Eurasian wild boar Sus scrofa L., red deer Cervus elaphus L., and roe deer Capreolus capreolus (L.) in two hunting districts in Lubuskie Province. In addition, the distribution of ticks on the host’s body and the intensity of infestation were determined. Ticks were collected from dead animals during the hunting seasons in 2013 and 2014, over the periods from May to June and from August to December. In total, 286 specimens were examined: 138 Eurasian wild boars, 8 red deers, and 140 roe deers. Altogether, 1891 ticks were collected. Three species of ticks were determined: Ixodes ricinus (L.), Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794), and Haemaphysalis concinna (C.L. Koch, 1844). H. concinna was recorded for the first time in Lubuskie Province.


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