Detection of Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) Carrying Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Able to Infect Cattle and Interfere with the Diagnosis of Bovine Tuberculosis

Mycobacterial infections caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are of great medical and veterinary relevance. The aim of this research was to study whether small mammals play a role in the epidemiology of mycobacterioses. Four samplings of 100 traps were performed in each of three cattle farms with previous history of tuberculosis or NTM between 2017 and 2018. A total of 108 animals belonging to seven species were trapped, classified, and necropsied, and tissues were submitted to microbiological and molecular methods for mycobacteria identification. The wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) was the most abundant species (87%). No MTC was detected but six different NTM were identified (M. intracellulare, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, M. gordonae, M. celatum, M. fortuitum, and a not determined Mycobacterium sp.), showing a prevalence of 6.5%. No significant association was found between mycobacteria prevalence and the analyzed factors. Although a role in the epidemiology of MTC could not be attributed to small mammals, A. sylvaticus carries NTM that could be pathogenic or interfere with the diagnosis of tuberculosis. According to our results, there is a risk of NTM transmission at the wildlife–livestock interface through potential indirect contacts between small mammals and cattle.

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Risk assessment of mycobacterial infections (human tuberculosis and avian mycobacteriosis) during anatomical dissection of cadavers

Veterinární Medicína ◽

10.17221/5551-vetmed ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 51 (No. 5) ◽

pp. 311-319 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Bartos ◽

H. Pavlikova ◽

L. Dvorska ◽

R. Horvath ◽

M. Dendis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex ◽

Kidney Tissue ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

Tuberculosis Complex ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

Mycobacterial Infections ◽

Anatomical Dissection ◽

History Of ◽

Intact Kidney ◽

Microscopy Examination

The aim of this work was to study the presence of mycobacteria in tissue samples from four cadavers fixed with formalin, and tissue samples from a recently deceased unpreserved individual, who had a history of human tuberculosis infection, undergoing a post mortem (cause of death not related to tuberculosis). All were examined for the presence of tuberculous lesions and the specific presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) and M. avium complex (MAC) members by microscopy, culture, and PCR analysis of four genomic elements (IS6110, mtp40, IS901, and IS1245). Microscopy examination after the Ziehl-Neelsen staining and culture examination for the presence of mycobacteria were negative in all 22 tissue samples from the four embalmed cadavers. PCR analysis of IS6110 and mtp40 was positive in tissue samples of tuberculous lesions from the lungs of two embalmed cadavers, and from intact kidney tissue of one of these cadavers. Microscopy and culture examinations of liver and spleen tissues from the unpreserved cadaver were positive for mycobacteria. PCR analysis, specific for M. avium subsp. avium, was positive in both tissue samples with, and without tuberculous lesions.

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Road verges provide connectivity for small mammals: A case study with wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) in an agro-silvo pastoral system

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.110033 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 258 ◽

pp. 110033

Author(s):

Ana Galantinho ◽

José M. Herrera ◽

Sofia Eufrázio ◽

Carmo Silva ◽

Filipe Carvalho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Pastoral System ◽

Wood Mice ◽

Road Verges

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Effect of gonadotrophins on the ovarian interstitial tissue of the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus

Reproduction ◽

10.1530/rep.0.1210123 ◽

2001 ◽

pp. 123-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

J Clarke ◽

F Brook

Keyword(s):

Relative Size ◽

Treated Wood ◽

Untreated Wood ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Interstitial Tissue ◽

Cell Nuclei ◽

Wood Mice ◽

A Site

The ovarian interstitial tissue of the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) is extensively developed. The effect of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) on ovarian interstitial tissue was investigated in wood mice from a laboratory stock. The tissue was assessed by measuring the relative size of the cells, cell nucleus diameter and (in adults) nuclear shape. Hormone-treated wood mice had larger interstitial cells and larger cell nuclei than untreated animals. In addition, the cell nuclei of adult hormone-treated wood mice had a smooth round or oval outline, whereas those of untreated animals had an irregular outline with spiky projections. Electron microscopy showed that the irregular spiky outline of the cell nuclei in untreated wood mice was caused by distortions of the nuclear membrane by a large number of intracellular lipid droplets; the droplets were less abundant in the hormone-treated animals. These experiments indicate that the cells of the interstitial tissue of the wood mouse are under the control of gonadotrophins, and that these cells are likely to be a site of the synthesis and release of steroid hormones. The methods used in this study to assess the state of the cells could be applied to animals from the field to investigate the role of interstitial tissue in the reproductive biology of wood mice.

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Woodland Recovery after Suppression of Deer: Cascade effects for Small Mammals, Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0031404 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. e31404 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Emma R. Bush ◽

Christina D. Buesching ◽

Eleanor M. Slade ◽

David W. Macdonald

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Wood Mice ◽

Bank Voles ◽

Cascade Effects

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Bioaccumulation of metals and effects of a landfill in small mammals. Part II. The wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus

Chemosphere ◽

10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.06.047 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 101-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Alejandro Sánchez-Chardi ◽

Cristina Peñarroja-Matutano ◽

Ciro Alberto Oliveira Ribeiro ◽

Jacint Nadal

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus

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Host specificity of Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) species: evidence that bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) carry only one T. (H.) evotomys 18S rRNA genotype but wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) carry at least two polyphyletic parasites

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182001001019 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 124 (2) ◽

pp. 185-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

H. A. NOYES ◽

P. AMBROSE ◽

F. BARKER ◽

M. BEGON ◽

M. BENNET ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Specificity ◽

18S Rrna ◽

Pcr Amplification ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

18S Rrna Gene ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Clethrionomys Glareolus ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Wood Mice ◽

Bank Voles

The strongest evidence for host specificity of mammalian trypanosomes comes from parasites of the subgenus Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma). Laboratory studies have shown that T. (Herpetosoma) species will not infect an alternative host. However, this has not been demonstrated in wild populations. We screened 560 bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) and 148 wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) for trypanosomes by PCR amplification of the 18S rRNA gene. In total, 109 (19%) bank voles and 12 (8%) wood mice were infected. A HaeIII restriction site was discovered that could be used to discriminate between T. (H.) evotomys of the bank vole and T. (H.) grosi of the wood mouse. All the parasites in the bank voles were identified as T. (Herpetosoma) evotomys by RFLP-PCR. Out of the 12 wood mouse infections 10 were due to T. grosi. Two of the wood mice were infected with parasites with a novel genotype that was most similar to those of T. evotomys and T. microti of voles. Fifty-six fleas collected from the rodents were also screened for trypanosomes; 9 were infected with T. evotomys and 1 with T. grosi. One of the fleas infected with T. evotomys was collected from a wood mouse.

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Hepatic parasitosis in two wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus (Rodentia: Muridae), due to Aonchotheca annulosa (Nematoda: Trichuridae), and Eucoleus bacillatus (Nematoda: Trichuridae). Erratic parasitism or post mortem migration?

Acta Parasitologica ◽

10.2478/s11686-014-0280-9 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 59 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Ángela Debenedetti ◽

Sandra Sáez-Durán ◽

Sandra Sainz-Elipe ◽

Maria Galán-Puchades ◽

Màrius Fuentes

Keyword(s):

Wood Mouse ◽

Liver Parenchyma ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Morphometric Study ◽

Wood Mice ◽

Stomach Mucosa ◽

Preliminary Identification ◽

Natural Park ◽

Main Host ◽

Calodium Hepaticum

AbstractAonchotheca annulosa and Eucoleus bacillatus are two capillariin nematodes parasitizing the intestinal and stomach mucosa, respectively, of various rodent species, and two, among others, component species of the helminth fauna of the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus. A capillariin each was found in the liver parenchyma of two wood mice in a post-fire regeneration enclave in Serra Calderona Natural Park (Valencian Community, Spain). Due to their location, the preliminary identification of the helminths corresponded to Calodium hepaticum, a hepatic capillariin with rodents as its main host. So far, this species had never been found in Serra Calderona. To verify the preliminary identification, a comparative morphometric study between the specimens from Serra Calderona and a preserved individual of C. hepaticum from another enclave was carried out. Morphometric analysis revealed that the adult helminth as well as the eggs found in the liver of the first mouse belonged to A. annulosa, whereas the second one was identified as a male E. bacillatus. Moreover, the liver from both hosts showed a visible pathology, being the consequence of aberrant migration of the parasites. This is the first evidence that A. annulosa and E. bacillatus may migrate erratically and thus produce ectopic foci in other organs.

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Monitoring piroplasms infection in three cattle farms in Minorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) with previous history of clinical piroplamosis

Veterinary Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.07.024 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 190 (3-4) ◽

pp. 318-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

A. Ros-García ◽

A.L. García-Pérez ◽

J. Verdera ◽

R.A. Juste ◽

A. Hurtado

Keyword(s):

Previous History ◽

Balearic Islands ◽

History Of ◽

Cattle Farms

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Interactions between the short-tailed mouse (Mus spretus) and the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus): diet overlap revealed by stable isotopes

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2012-0286 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 91 (2) ◽

pp. 102-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Sarah Bauduin ◽

Jacques Cassaing ◽

Moussa Issam ◽

Céline Martin

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotopes ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

Food Competition ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Mus Spretus ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Wood Mice ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Aggressive Interactions

Extensive niche overlap between closely related species generally leads to aggressive interactions and competition. The short-tailed mouse (Mus spretus Lataste, 1883) and the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus (L., 1758)) show a large habitat overlap without aggressive interactions. The present study investigates the existence of food competition between these species, based on an analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. An almost exhaustive sample of plants, which were potential food resources, was taken and analyzed to infer the consumed plants in mouse diets. The main result showed that both species had a similar diet composition, consisting exclusively of seeds and fruits. This suggests that no competition for food between these species is apparent, or if it exists it would be minimized by a differential exploitation of resources. In the absence of food and space competition,the short-tailed mouse may be using the presence of the wood mouse as an indicator of habitat food quality. In the case of wood mice, we hypothesize that the level of competition with short-tailed mice may be low because of the abundance of resources and because the wood mice may perceive the smaller short-tailed mouse as being equivalent to a young of their own species.

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Spatial interactions between two nematode species along the intestine of the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus from woodland and grassland sites in southern England

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x21000468 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 95 ◽

Author(s):

J.W. Lewis ◽

N.J. Morley ◽

J.M. Behnke

Keyword(s):

Wood Mouse ◽

Nematode Species ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Middle Section ◽

Heligmosomoides Polygyrus ◽

Wood Mice ◽

Nematode Parasites ◽

Study Sites ◽

Dose Dependent ◽

Species Being

Abstract The distributions of the nematode parasites Heligmosomoides polygyrus and Syphacia stroma were quantified in three equal-length sections along the intestine of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) trapped in three different locations in the south of England. The distribution of H. polygyrus did not change in the presence of S. stroma, this species being largely confined to the anterior third of the intestine, whether S. stroma was or was not present. However, while in single infections with S. stroma, worms were equally distributed in the anterior and middle sections of the intestine, in the presence of H. polygyrus, a higher percentage of worms was located in the middle section. This was a dose-dependent response by S. stroma to increasing worm burdens with H. polygyrus, and even relatively low intensities of infection with H. polygyrus (e.g. ≤10 worms) were sufficient to cause a posterior redistribution of S. stroma into the middle section. A similar posterior shift in the percentage distribution of S. stroma in the intestine was evident in juvenile and mature mice of both sexes, and in mice from all three study sites. The ecological significance of these results is discussed.

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