| coexistence of predators in time: effects of season and prey availability on species activity within a mediterranean carnivore guild. | the degree of coexistence among predators can determine the structure of ecological communities. niche partitioning is a common strategy applied by species to enhance their coexistence. diet, habitat, or time use can be responsible for segregation among carnivore species, the latter factor being the least studied in mediterranean ecosystems. terrestrial medium-sized carnivores (i.e., mesocarnivores) carry out important functions in ecosystems, and identifying their interactions is essential for ... | 2020 | 33144974 |
| cardiopulmonary nematodes of wild carnivores from denmark: do they serve as reservoir hosts for infections in domestic animals? | the cardiopulmonary nematodes angiostrongylus vasorum, crenosoma vulpis, capillaria aerophila and aelurostrongylus abstrusus, are a cause of concern in the scientific and veterinary community, potentially causing significant disease in domestic animals. to investigate the potential of wild carnivores as reservoir hosts to these parasites, a total of 1041 animals from seven regions of denmark were sampled: 476 raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides), 367 red foxes (vulpes vulpes), 123 american mi ... | 2020 | 32884901 |
| molecular identification of sarcocystis lutrae (apicomplexa: sarcocystidae) in muscles of five species of the family mustelidae. | carnivores usually act as definitive hosts of sarcocystis species. however, the number of reports on sarcocyst formation in musculature of predators is on the increase. in the present study, muscle samples of 68 mustelids collected in lithuania were examined for sarcocysts of sarcocystis species. sarcocysts were detected in diaphragm, tongue and limb muscles of ten animals (14.7%) but were not discovered in the heart. based on 18s rdna, 28s rdna, cox1 and its1 sequence analysis, sarcocystis lutr ... | 2018 | 29700640 |
| oral and dental examination findings in european polecats (mustela putorius). | dental and oral diseases in the domestic ferret have been reported, but comparison with their closest wild relative, the european polecat (mustela putorius), is lacking. dental and orofacial pathology was evaluated by means of visual examination and dental radiographical analysis of 234 museum skulls. most of these (70.5%) originated from austria and the remainder came from seven other european countries. linguoverted mandibular second incisor teeth were noted in 77% of the skulls. there were 7, ... | 2020 | 32359635 |
| thelazia callipaeda in mustelids from romania with the european badger, meles meles, as a new host for this parasite. | thelazia callipaeda (spirurida, thelaziidae) is a vector-borne zoonotic eye worm with a broad host spectrum. in europe, it is an emerging threat, having greatly expanded its geographical distribution during the past two decades. in romania, t. callipaeda has been previously reported in domestic and wild canids and felids. the aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence of t. callipaeda in mustelids in the country. | 2019 | 31349861 |
| role of mustelids in the life-cycle of ixodid ticks and transmission cycles of four tick-borne pathogens. | elucidating which wildlife species significantly contribute to the maintenance of ixodes ricinus populations and the enzootic cycles of the pathogens they transmit is imperative in understanding the driving forces behind the emergence of tick-borne diseases. here, we aimed to quantify the relative contribution of four mustelid species in the life-cycles of i. ricinus and borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) in forested areas and to investigate their role in the transmission of other tick-borne path ... | 2018 | 30458847 |
| native and exotic seed dispersal by the stone marten (martes foina): implications for the regeneration of a relict climactic forest in central portugal. | the stone marten (martes foina) is a carnivorous mammal that often consumes fleshy fruits, thus potentially promoting seed dispersion. the present study was developed in bussaco national forest, central portugal, and aimed to assess the potential role of the stone marten in dispersing native and exotic plants in different forest landscape types. seeds from stone marten scats and fleshy fruits were collected monthly and were thereafter identified and sowed in a nursery, following a randomized exp ... | 2019 | 30251412 |
| oral and dental examination findings in beech martens (martes foina). | detailed clinical and radiographical descriptions of oral/dental pathology in the beech marten (martes foina) are lacking. in the present study, skulls of m. foina from a museum collection (n = 109) were examined macroscopically according to predefined criteria and full-mouth dental radiographs were obtained. occlusion was diagnosed as 'scissor bite' in 22.5% of evaluated skulls, 77% of evaluated skulls showed 'level bite' of incisors and 9.2% of evaluated skulls had 'open bites'. in three skull ... | 2018 | 30213368 |
| hepatozoon martis n. sp. (adeleorina: hepatozoidae): morphological and pathological features of a hepatozoon species infecting martens (family mustelidae). | species of the genus hepatozoon (adeleorina: hepatozoidae) are arthropod-transmitted protozoan parasites that infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts. in the present study, we describe a new species of hepatozoon primarily infecting martens and propose the name hepatozoon martis n. sp., based on its unique morphological, molecular and pathogenic features. the overall prevalence of infection with h. martis n. sp. assessed by pcr in european pine martens (martes martes) from bosnia and herzegovina ... | 2018 | 29605549 |
| natural distemper infection in stone martens (martes foina): from infection to neutralizing antibodies. | we report an outbreak of canine distemper virus (cdv) among stone martens (martes foina) in italy. after being rescued in northern italy between april and june 2018, six subjects were kept in a wildlife and exotic animal rescue center in bologna province. subjects have been monitored for 15 months in captivity. within this time-lapse, two subjects died, while among the remaining four, only one showed clinical symptoms referable to distemper. surviving subjects have been regularly tested for cdv ... | 2021 | 34171543 |
| anatomical basis of differences in locomotor behavior in martens: a comparison of the forelimb musculature between two sympatric species of martes. | arboreal locomotion imposes selective pressures that may affect the evolution of the locomotor apparatus. the limbs have to be mobile to reach across discontinuities, yet at the same time need to be forceful to move against gravity during climbing. however, as intermediaries between the arboreal and terrestrial environment, semi-arboreal mammals appear not extremely specialized and, thus, anatomical adaptations may be less evident than expected for arboreal climbers. here, we present quantitativ ... | 2018 | 29418114 |
| the pine marten (martes martes) and the stone marten (martes foina) as possible wild reservoirs of toxoplasma gondii in the baltic states. | toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic parasite that infects a wide spectrum of mammals. moreover, its presence in wild carnivores is indicative of environmental contamination by the parasite. a total of 186 marten (152 pine marten; 34 stone marten) meat juice samples from latvia and lithuania were tested for t. gondii seroprevalence. samples were tested for t. gondii specific antibodies by a commercial elisa and antibodies were found in 121 (65.1%) samples. higher prevalence (67.8%) occurre ... | 2017 | 31014846 |
| serological survey of toxoplasma gondii and besnoitia besnoiti in a wildlife conservation area in southern portugal. | toxoplasma gondii and besnoitia besnoiti are closely related apicomplexan protozoa. t. gondii is a zoonotic pathogen which may cause serious disease in man and warm-blooded animals, including wild species. b. besnoiti causes bovine besnoitiosis, an emergent disease in europe, which is linked to important production losses. unlike t. gondii, the life cycle of b. besnoiti remains a mystery, since the definitive host has not yet been identified. the aim of this work was to determine the seroprevale ... | 2016 | 31014504 |
| spatio-temporal partitioning facilitates mesocarnivore sympatry in the stara planina mountains, bulgaria. | the top trophic level in many terrestrial food webs is typically occupied by mammalian carnivores (order carnivora) that broadly affect and shape ecosystems through trophic cascades. their inter-specific interactions can further complicate effects on community dynamics as a consequence of intra-guild competition. the capacity for competitive mammalian carnivores to segregate their hunting and activity regimes is in major part a function of their similarity, in terms of body-size and dietary nich ... | 2020 | 32563175 |
| genetic diversity and structure related to expansion history and habitat isolation: stone marten populating rural-urban habitats. | population genetic diversity and structure are determined by past and current evolutionary processes, among which spatially limited dispersal, genetic drift, and shifts in species distribution boundaries have major effects. in most wildlife species, environmental modifications by humans often lead to contraction of species' ranges and/or limit their dispersal by acting as environmental barriers. however, in species well adapted to anthropogenic habitat or open landscapes, human induced environme ... | 2017 | 29273026 |