Small mammals: paratenic hosts for species ofToxocarain eastern Slovakia

AbstractToxocaraspp., an aetiological agent of a serious helminthozoonosis, is a common roundworm of domestic and wild carnivores worldwide. The study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence ofToxocarain small mammals from different localities in eastern Slovakia. Anti-Toxocaraantibodies were detected in 6.4% out of 2140 examined animals trapped in eastern Slovakia. Due to their high density and observed high seroprevalence of toxocariasis,Apodemus agrarius,A. flavicollis,Myodes glareolusandMus spicilegus(10.9, 4.2, 3.6 and 11.2%, respectively) represent important sources of the infection. A significant correlation between type of food andToxocarapositivity was detected: granivores (7.2%) and invertebratophages (7.1%) were positive more frequently than herbivores (2.1%). In the years monitored, cyclic changes of seroprevalence were observed. A higher prevalence of antibodies in the spring was followed by a decrease in summer. In autumn, seroprevalence started to rise and stayed at a similar level through the winter. Seroprevalence of the examined animals confirms their contact withToxocaraspp. and demonstrates the presence of the aetiological agent in the monitored locality. Areas with a high prevalence of infected animals present constant infectious pressure on definitive hosts, thus also increasing infection risk for humans and paratenic hosts. The study confirmed the contact of small mammals withToxocaraspp. and demonstrated the presence and circulation of an aetiological agent in the localities monitored in eastern Slovakia.

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Species composition of small mammals in key biotopes near Kolomak (Kharkiv Oblast)

Theriologia Ukrainica ◽

10.15407/tu2005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2020 (20) ◽

pp. 29-38

Author(s):

Oksana Markovska ◽

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Species Composition ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Sorex Araneus ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Oak Forest ◽

Apodemus Agrarius ◽

Micromys Minutus

The study of the species composition and biotope preferences of small mammals around Kolomak had been carried out for four years (2017–2020). During the study period, 9 species of mouse-like rodents and 3 species of insectivores were found. No Cricetulus migratorius, Terricola subterraneus or Microtus oeconomus were found from the theoretically expected species already known for this area. Around Kolomak, 11 biotopes were investigated, including maple-linden oak forest, agrocenoses, dry and flooded meadows, which are located along the banks of a pond and in a gully-ravine system. The first year of research was in a year of high abundance (2017), and then 9 species were immediately discovered, but species with small abundance, such as Crocidura suaveolens, Sorex minutus, and Micromys minutus, were found in years with a small relative abundance of small mammals. Myodes glareolus, Sylvaemus tauricus and Sylvaemus uralensis are dominant species in the captures. According to the trapping results, 2017 was the year of high relative abundance of small mammals, 2018 was the year of the lowest relative abundance, 2019 and 2020 were years with an average relative abundance. During the study period, 6 species were identified in forest biotopes (Apodemus agrarius, Sylvaemus tauricus, Sylvaemus uralensis, Myodes glareolus, Sorex araneus, and Dryomys nitedula). In ecotones with floodplain biotopes, 8 species were found (Apodemus agrarius, Sylvaemus sylvaticus, Sylvaemus uralensis, Mus musculus, Micromys minutus, Myodes glareolus, and Sorex araneus). Four species (Mus musculus, Sylvaemus sylvaticus, Sylvaemus uralensis, and Microtus levis) were discovered near human settlements. In general, biotopes with the greatest species diversity and number of caught individuals are ecotones of dry and floodplain meadows. In years of high abundance, both species diversity and the number of individuals caught in the oak forest and in ecotones near the pond increased. It should be noted that Myodes glareolus was caught in clear-cuts during the two years (2019-2020) only in the summer of 2020. Earlier, not a single specimen of this species was caught there, although there is a dense weed grass cover in this area and the shrub layer has also grown up in some places, and the clear-cut is surrounded by oak forest.

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Spatial and temporal patterning of bank vole demography and the epidemiology of the Puumala hantavirus in northeastern France

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268808000423 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 136 (12) ◽

pp. 1638-1643 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

D. AUGOT ◽

F. SAUVAGE ◽

F. BOUE ◽

M. BOULOY ◽

M. ARTOIS ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bank Vole ◽

Epidemiological Data ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Human Infection ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

High Seroprevalence ◽

Bank Voles ◽

Infection Dynamics ◽

Northeastern France ◽

Trapping Sites

SUMMARYEpidemiological data from bank voles,Myodes glareolus, naturally infected by the hantavirus Puumala (PUUV) were collected by a capture–mark–recapture protocol from 2000 to 2002 in the French department of Ardennes. Four monitored trapping sites were established in two forests located in two cantons (Flize and Monthermé). We captured 912 bank voles corresponding to 557 different individuals during 8820 trapping nights for an overall trapping success of 10·34%. The average PUUV seroprevalence was 22·4%. Characteristics of the system reported in North European countries are confirmed in France. PUUV seroprevalence and abundance of rodents appeared weakly linked. Adult voles were more frequently antibody-positive, but no difference between sexes was established. Anti-PUUV seropositive voles were captured and high seroprevalence was observed from both forests, without human infection reported in Flize canton during the study. One site among the four exhibited peculiar infection dynamics, where vole weight and infection risk were negatively correlated.

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Vegetation cover and microtine rodents spatial distribution under conditions of Nizhny Novgorod oakwood

Samara Journal of Science ◽

10.17816/snv202103 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 20-25

Author(s):

Elena E. Boryakova

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Vegetation Cover ◽

Botanical Garden ◽

Projective Cover ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Anthropogenic Pressure ◽

Apodemus Agrarius ◽

Microtine Rodents

This paper deals with the problem of the connection between small mammals spatial distribution and the vegetation cover. The study was carried out during the summer period of 2018 and 2019 in the landscape protected area Oakwood of the NNSU Botanical Garden in the province of Nizhny Novgorod. Three relevs were set up in various plant associations: Ulmetum pulmonarioso-asaroso-aegopodiosum, Acereto-Tilietum pulmonarioso-impatienosum (noli-tangerae), Querceto-Acereto-Tilietum asareto-aegopodiosum. A standard geobotanical description was carried out according to the generally accepted method using a series of Raunkier sites registration. Microtine rodents were trapped by standart traps and live traps. The caught animals turned out to belong to 2 genera and 3 species: the bank vole Myodes glareolus Schreber, the pygmy wood mouse Apodemus uralensis Pallas, and the field mouse Apodemus agrarius Pallas. The low population size of animals, as well as the fact that Apodemus agrarius is a co-dominant, may indirectly indicate the anthropogenic pressure in the investigated oak groves. Ecological plasticity of the species Myodes glareolus has been confirmed. Bank voles inhabit micro-habitats with the average data of illumination as well as shaded ones. In general, the vegetation projective cover and the presence of Norway maple undergrowth are crucial for the microtine rodents spatial distribution. Small mammals choose sites with a minimum number of Acer platanoides undergrowth, and gravitate to places where the projective cover of grass has moderate rates (from 35 to 50%). The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using a vegetation cover species spectrum showed the presence of a significant factor for microtine rodents, which is associated with nitrophilous species (common nettle and touch-me-not balsam). The presence of those plants may indicate a significant anthropogenic pressure on the vegetation cover. In addition, it is important that plants belong to a particular eco-coenotic group. The species Myodes glareolus and Apodemus agrarius differ on the nemoral factor, and their ecological niches do not overlap.

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Small mammal mycophagy in hemiboreal forest communities of Lithuania

Open Life Sciences ◽

10.2478/s11535-011-0006-z ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 446-456 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Marija Kataržytė ◽

Ernestas Kutorga

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Fungal Spores ◽

Seasonal Effects ◽

Deciduous Tree ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Hypogeous Fungi ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

Significant Difference

AbstractThe diets of small mammals in different hemiboreal spruce-dominated, oak-dominated and mixed forests in western part of Lithuania were studied by examination of fungal spores in fresh fecal pellets of caught animals. In the diets of mice (Apodemus spp.), bank voles (Myodes glareolus), and common and pygmy shrews (Sorex araneus and S. minutus), 22 different fungal taxa were identified, 15 of which were hypogeous fungi. The sporocarp abundance and the spores in fecal samples of Elaphomyces fungi prevailed in study area during this investigation. Although most of the captured individuals consumed fungi, the consumption varied among small mammal species. The data show that the fungi were more frequent and taxonomically diverse in Myodes glareolus than in Apodemus spp. diets. The study provided evidence that the fungal component in the diets of insectivorous Sorex species is more diverse than previously known. The availability of sporocarps and the fungal component in the diets of small mammals showed seasonal effects. Annual hypogeous and epigeous sporocarp abundances did not vary significantly across forest types. The significant difference in mycophagy was observed across all forest cover types, with the greatest fungal diversity in fecal samples collected in mixed coniferous-deciduous tree stands.

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Small mammals of the Kaluga region – reservoirs of dangerous zoonotic diseases

10.31016/978-5-9902341-5-4.2020.21.291-294 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 291-294

Author(s):

Nikanorova ◽

Kozlov

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Zoonotic Diseases ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Field Mouse ◽

Vector Borne ◽

Kaluga Region ◽

The City ◽

Small Forest

The article considers the issues of carriage by small mammals of dangerous zoonotic diseases: leptospirosis, tularemia, hantaviruses. Data on the detection of antigens to pathogens in the districts of the Kaluga region are presented. As you know, small mammals are the main link in maintaining zoonotic natural focal diseases. The larval phases of ixodic ticks, mosquitoes and other parasitic arthropods prefer to feed on the blood of mouse rodents, which contributes to the spread of vector-borne infections and infestations. The following species of mouse rodents are found in the Kaluga Region: small forest mouse (Apodemus uralensis), gray vole, red vole (Myodes glareolus), field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), gray rat (Rattus norvegicus), and house mouse (Mus musculus). In natural biotopes, field species prevail in number: field mouse, gray vole, red vole. In the Kaluga region, antigens for tularemia, hantaviruses, and leptospirosis were found in small mammals in 4.9–9.4% of the studied animals on average per year. Of particular concern are the city of Kaluga, Borovsky, Babyninsky, Yukhnovsky, Ulyanovsk, Medynsky, Maloyaroslavetsky, Meshchovsky, Peremyshlsky, Kozelsky, Dzerzhinsky and Ulyanovsk districts. The data obtained indicate the stationarity of these diseases in the territory of the Kaluga region.

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High prevalence and diversity of Bartonella in small mammals from the biodiverse Western Ghats

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

10.1371/journal.pntd.0009178 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. e0009178

Author(s):

B. R. Ansil ◽

Ian H. Mendenhall ◽

Uma Ramakrishnan

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Haplotype Diversity ◽

Host Community ◽

Limited Information ◽

Mixed Use ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Interspecies Variability ◽

Phylogenetic Affinities ◽

Microbial Agents

Bartonella species are recognized globally as emerging zoonotic pathogens. Small mammals such as rodents and shrews are implicated as major natural reservoirs for these microbial agents. Nevertheless, in several tropical countries, like India, the diversity of Bartonella in small mammals remain unexplored and limited information exists on the natural transmission cycles (reservoirs and vectors) of these bacteria. Using a multi-locus sequencing approach, we investigated the prevalence, haplotype diversity, and phylogenetic affinities of Bartonella in small mammals and their associated mites in a mixed-use landscape in the biodiverse Western Ghats in southern India. We sampled 141 individual small mammals belonging to eight species. Bartonella was detected in five of the eight species, including three previously unknown hosts. We observed high interspecies variability of Bartonella prevalence in the host community. However, the overall prevalence (52.5%) and haplotype diversity (0.9) was high for the individuals tested. Of the seven lineages of Bartonella identified in our samples, five lineages were phylogenetically related to putative zoonotic species–B. tribocorum, B. queenslandensis, and B. elizabethae. Haplotypes identified from mites were identical to those identified from their host species. This indicates that these Bartonella species may be zoonotic, but further work is necessary to confirm whether these are pathogenic and pose a threat to humans. Taken together, these results emphasize the presence of hitherto unexplored diversity of Bartonella in wild and synanthropic small mammals in mixed-use landscapes. The study also highlights the necessity to assess the risk of spillover to humans and other incidental hosts.

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Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus: Seasonal and Annual Variation of Epidemiological Parameters Related to Nymph-to-Larva Transmission and Exposure of Small Mammals

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens9070518 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 518

Author(s):

Laure Bournez ◽

Gerald Umhang ◽

Marie Moinet ◽

Céline Richomme ◽

Jean-Michel Demerson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Encephalitis Virus ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Mountain Forest ◽

Annual Variations ◽

Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽

Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus ◽

Over Time ◽

Epidemiological Parameters

A greater knowledge of the ecology of the natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is essential to better assess the temporal variations of the risk of tick-borne encephalitis for humans. To describe the seasonal and inter-annual variations of the TBEV-cycle and the epidemiological parameters related to TBEV nymph-to-larva transmission, exposure of small mammals to TBEV, and tick aggregation on small mammals, a longitudinal survey in ticks and small mammals was conducted over a 3-year period in a mountain forest in Alsace, eastern France. TBEV prevalence in questing nymphs was lower in 2013 than in 2012 and 2014, probably because small mammals (Myodes glareolus and Apodemus flavicollis) were more abundant in 2012, which reduced tick aggregation and co-feeding transmission between ticks. The prevalence of TBEV in questing nymphs was higher in autumn than spring. Despite these variations in prevalence, the density of infected questing nymphs was constant over time, leading to a constant risk for humans. The seroprevalence of small mammals was also constant over time, although the proportion of rodents infested with ticks varied between years and seasons. Our results draw attention to the importance of considering the complex relationship between small mammal densities, tick aggregation on small mammals, density of infected questing nymphs, and prevalence of infected nymphs in order to forecast the risk of TBEV for humans.

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Prevalencija bakterije Francisella tularensis u populaciji sitnih sisavaca u kontinentalnim šumama Hrvatske

Šumarski list ◽

10.31298/sl.142.9-10.3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 142 (9-10) ◽

pp. 485-486

Author(s):

Mirna Mihelčić ◽

Marko Vucelja ◽

Marina Šantić ◽

Josip Margaletić ◽

Nenad Turk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Francisella Tularensis ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Sorex Araneus ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Apodemus Flavicollis ◽

Microtus Arvalis ◽

Apodemus Agrarius ◽

Qrt Pcr

Francisella tularensisis uzročnik je zoonoze tularemije, koja ima široki raspon domaćina, uključujući člankonošce, sisavce i ptice. Dvije podvrste F. tularensis, subsp. tularensis (Tip A) i subsp. holartica (Tip B), opisane su kao najčešći uzročnici bolesti u ljudi (Kingry and Petersen, 2014; Kuehn et al., 2013). Tip A i Tip B razlikuju se po svojim biokemijskim značajkama, patogenosti, ekologiji, epidemiologiji te geografskoj rasprostranjenosti. Rasprostranjenost Tipa A uglavnom je ograničena na sjevernoamerički kontinent, za razliku od Tipa B, koji se javlja duž cijele sjeverne polutke, a ujedno je i najčešći uzročnik tularemije u Europi(Keim et al., 2007; Kuehn et al., 2013). No ekologija i kruženje ove bakterije u prirodi do danas još nisu u potpunosti razjašnjeni. Različiti glodavci (voluharice, miševi, tekunice, bizantski štakori, dabrovi) te dvojezupci (kunić i zec) opisani su kao mogući rezervoari F.tularensis. Zadnja epidemiološka i epizootiološka istraživanja tularemije u Hrvatskoj datiraju iz šezdesetih i sedamdesetih godina prošloga stoljeća(Borcić et al., 1975). Stoga je cilj ovoga rada bio prikupiti nove podatke o prevalenciji tularemije u populaciji sitnih sisavaca u Hrvatskoj. Ukupno 444 uzoraka sitnih glodavaca i kukcojeda sakupljeno je u razdoblju od dvije godine na osam različitih lokaliteta u šumama kontinentalne Hrvatske: Lipovljani, Nova Subocka, Velika Gorica, Stara Gradiška, Županja, Sunja, Koprivnica i Čakovec (Slika 1). Pretraženi su uzorci slezene od: 197 Apodemus agrarius (poljski miš), 78 Apodemus sylvaticus (šumski miš), 92 Apodemus flavicollis (žutogrli miš), 17 Myodes glareolus (šumska voluharica), 27 Mycrotus agrestis (livadna voluharica), 20 Microtus arvalis (poljska voluharica) te 13 Sorex araneus (rovka). Uzorcisu pretraženi na prisutnost DNA Francisella spp. koristeći qRT-PCR metodu. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da su od ukupno 444 prikupljene životinje tri uzorka (0.67%), od kojih dva poljska miša te jedan šumski miš, bili pozitivni su na francizelu (Tablica 1). Sva tri pozitivna uzorka prikupljena su na istom području – lokalitetu Lipovljani. Tularemija je bolest koja se primarno povezuje s „nizinskim“ i „vodenim“ ekosustavima (Borcić, 1973). Područje duž toka rijeke Save (Posavina) opisuje se kao prirodno žarište tularemije u Hrvatskoj (Borcic et al., 1976), akao glavni rezervoar tularemije na tom području navodi se poljska voluharica (Borcic et al., 1976). Trimiša pozitivna na F. tularensis upućuju da je ova bakterija i dalje prisutna u populaciji sitnih glodavaca u Hrvatskoj. Nadalje, svi pozitivni uzorci prikupljeni su na lokalitetu Lipovljani, smještenom u srednjem dijelu toka rijeke Save, stoga ova regija zadržava obilježje prirodnog žarišta tularemije u Hrvatskoj.

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Communities of small mammals (Soricomorpha, Rodentia) in urbanized environment

Biologia ◽

10.1515/biolog-2015-0088 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 70 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Peter Klimant ◽

Ivan Baláž ◽

Zuzana Krumpálová

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Peripheral Zone ◽

Clethrionomys Glareolus ◽

City Centre ◽

Mus Spicilegus ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Urban Conditions ◽

Sorex Minutus ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

AbstractThe study is focused on analyses of the impact of urbanized environment on the occurrence and structure of small mammals that are important with regard to transmission of diseases to man and domestic animals. The city of Nitra (Slovakia) was chosen as a model area, where an urban - rural gradient was determined. It was categorized into three zones, depending on the distance from the city centre. Small mammals were examined by a comprehensive annual research during the seasons. Overall, 12 species of small mammals were found, Microtus arvalis (29.6%), Apodemus sylvaticus (23.1%), Apodemus flavicollis (20.6%) were eudominant. The communities of small mammals showed an increase in species diversity and richness from the suburban to the peripheral zone, and a decrease of diversity and richness with increasing urban conditions from the peripheral to the pericentral zone. The identified species of small mammals were categorized according to their dependence on urban environment as exoanthropic species, avoiding the presence of man and his habitations (A. sylvaticus, A. flavicollis, and Clethrionomys glareolus); hemisynantropic species, which thrive on the edges of towns, with greater or lesser affinity to humans (M. arvalis, Apodemus uralensis, Sorex araneus, Sorex minutus, Mus spicilegus, and Microtus subterraneus); and synanthropic species, tied to human dwellings, very dependent on human resources (Crocidura suaveolens).

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Mouse-like rodents and shrews in Kharkiv Oblast (Ukraine): species composition, distribution, and current state of populations

Theriologia Ukrainica ◽

10.15407/tu1904 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 (19) ◽

pp. 26-44

Author(s):

Oksana Markovska ◽

◽

Hennadiy Tkach

Keyword(s):

Common Species ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Widespread Species ◽

Microtus Oeconomus ◽

Arvicola Amphibius ◽

Mus Spicilegus ◽

Current State ◽

Population Outbreaks ◽

Sorex Minutus

Since 1957, zoologists of the Kharkiv Sanitary and Epidemiological Station have been conducting annual monitoring of small mammals in Kharkiv Oblast. To assess the current state of populations of mouse-like rodents and shrews, we analysed a dataset for the period from 2000 to 2018. The small mammal fauna was studied at 117 sites in 27 districts (raions) of Kharkiv Oblast. Various types of oak forests, dry and floodplain meadows, riparian vegetation, steppe areas, forest stripes, gardens, fields, and haystacks were examined. Four species of insectivores and 16 species of mouse-like rodents were identified. The dominant and widespread species in the region are Sylvaemus uralensis, Apodemus agrarius, Sorex araneus, Microtus levis, Myodes glareolus, and Sylvaemus tauricus. Some species are less common and in some areas of the region have not yet been identified, including Sorex minutus, Sylvaemus sylvaticus, Crocidura suaveolens, Micromys minutus, Cricetulus migratorius, and Microtus oeconomus. The least common species with single records include Neomys fodiens, Mus spicilegus, Lagurus lagurus, Terricola subterraneus, Dryomys nitedula, and Arvicola amphibius. Indigenous species of the region include seven species, another seven species are those that increased their number and range, three species have recently appeared in the region due to dispersal from adjacent territories, while, on the contrary, the abundance and range of three species have declines. Microtus oeconomus is characterised by a current southward range expansion. Myodes glareolus, which was mentioned in the last century north of our region, is now widely distributed throughout the region and further south. Lagurus lagurus is an invasive species with periodic population outbreaks in the region and currently is rarely recorded.

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