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the european bison (bison bonasus) as an indicatory species for the circulation of tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev) in natural foci in poland.tick-borne encephalitis (tbe) is one of the most common zoonotic diseases in europe transmitted by ixodidae vectors. while small mammals such as bank voles and ticks constitute the main reservoirs for virus transmission, large sylvatic species act as a food source for ticks. cervids such as roe deer and red deer are considered sentinel species for tbe in natural foci. in addition, an increase of the population size and density of large wild mammals in an area corresponds to an increase in the ti ...202134358779
evolutionary relationships of ljungan virus variants circulating in multi-host systems across europe.the picornavirus named 'ljungan virus' (lv, species parechovirus b) has been detected in a dozen small mammal species from across europe, but detailed information on its genetic diversity and host specificity is lacking. here, we analyze the evolutionary relationships of lv variants circulating in free-living mammal populations by comparing the phylogenetics of the vp1 region (encoding the capsid protein and associated with lv serotype) and the 3dpol region (encoding the rna polymerase) from 24 ...202134372523
neutralizing ljungan virus antibodies in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.ljungan virus (lv), a parechovirus of the picornavirus family, first isolated from a bank vole at the ljungan river in sweden, has been implicated in the risk for autoimmune type 1 diabetes. an assay for neutralizing ljungan virus antibodies (nlva) was developed using the original 87-012 lv isolate. the goal was to determine nlva titres in incident 0-18 years old newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients (n=67) and school children controls (n=292) from jämtland county in sweden. nlva were found i ...202134020728
experimental sars-cov-2 infection of bank voles.after experimental inoculation, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection was confirmed in bank voles by seroconversion within 8 days and detection of viral rna in nasal tissue for up to 21 days. however, transmission to contact animals was not detected. thus, bank voles are unlikely to establish effective transmission cycles in nature.202133754987
geographical distribution and genetic diversity of bank vole hepaciviruses in europe.the development of new diagnostic methods resulted in the discovery of novel hepaciviruses in wild populations of the bank vole (myodes glareolus, syn. clethrionomys glareolus). the naturally infected voles demonstrate signs of hepatitis similar to those induced by hepatitis c virus (hcv) in humans. the aim of the present research was to investigate the geographical distribution of bank vole-associated hepaciviruses (bvhvs) and their genetic diversity in europe. real-time reverse transcription p ...202134203238
long-term presence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in experimentally infected bank voles (myodes glareolus).tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev) is a vector-borne pathogen that can cause serious neurological symptoms in humans. across large parts of eurasia tbev is found in three traditional subtypes: the european, the siberian and the far-eastern subtype. small mammalian animals play an important role in the transmission cycle as they enable the spread of tbev among the vector tick population. to assess the impact of tbev infection on its natural hosts, outbred bank voles (myodes glareolus) were inoc ...202133690089
rodent host population dynamics drive zoonotic lyme borreliosis and orthohantavirus infections in humans in northern europe.zoonotic diseases, caused by pathogens transmitted between other vertebrate animals and humans, pose a major risk to human health. rodents are important reservoir hosts for many zoonotic pathogens, and rodent population dynamics affect the infection dynamics of rodent-borne diseases, such as diseases caused by hantaviruses. however, the role of rodent population dynamics in determining the infection dynamics of rodent-associated tick-borne diseases, such as lyme borreliosis (lb), caused by borre ...202134373474
impact of landscape on host-parasite genetic diversity and distribution using the puumala orthohantavirus-bank vole system.in nature, host specificity has a strong impact on the parasite's distribution, prevalence, and genetic diversity. the host's population dynamics is expected to shape the distribution of host-specific parasites. in turn, the parasite's genetic structure is predicted to mirror that of the host. here, we study the tandem puumala orthohantavirus (puuv)-bank vole system. the genetic diversity of 310 bank voles and 33 puuv isolates from 10 characterized localities of northeast france was assessed. ou ...202134361952
hantavirus-leptospira coinfections in small mammals from central germany.european orthohantaviruses (puumala orthohantavirus (puuv); dobrava-belgrade orthohantavirus (dobv), genotype kurkino; tula orthohantavirus (tulv)), and leptospira spp. are small mammal-associated zoonotic pathogens that cause diseases with potentially similar symptoms in humans. we investigated the frequency of leptospira spp. and hantavirus single and double infections in small mammals from 22 sites in thuringia, central germany, during 2017. tulv infections were detected at 18 of 22 sites (me ...202133612134
climate change accelerates winter transmission of a zoonotic pathogen.many zoonotic diseases are weather sensitive, raising concern how their distribution and outbreaks will be affected by climate change. at northern high latitudes, the effect of global warming on especially winter conditions is strong. by using long term monitoring data (1980-1986 and 2003-2013) from northern europe on temperature, precipitation, an endemic zoonotic pathogen (puumala orthohantavirus, puuv) and its reservoir host (the bank vole, myodes glareolus), we show that early winters have b ...202134228253
genetic diversity of puumala orthohantavirus in rodents and human patients in austria, 2012-2019.puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) has a wide distribution throughout europe. distinctive temporal patterns of spillover into the human population are related to population dynamics of the reservoir host, the bank vole (clethrionomys glareolus). as the rodent host is tied to specific habitats with small individual ranges, puuv genetic diversity is also highly correlated with geographic distance. using sequenced portions of viral s and m segments, we determined whether geographic clusters were suppor ...202133918083
isolation and genetic characterization of puumala orthohantavirus strains from france.puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) causes a mild form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (hfrs) called nephropathia epidemica (ne), regularly diagnosed in europe. france represents the western frontier of the expansion of ne in europe with two distinct areas: an endemic area (north-eastern france) where puuv circulates in rodent populations, with the detection of many human ne cases, and a non-endemic area (south-western france) where the virus is not detected, with only a few human cases bei ...202133809526
hamster polyomavirus research: past, present, and future.hamster polyomavirus (mesocricetus auratus polyomavirus 1, hapyv) was discovered as one of the first rodent polyomaviruses at the end of the 1960s in a colony of syrian hamsters (mesocricetus auratus) affected by skin tumors. natural hapyv infections have been recorded in syrian hamster colonies due to the occurrence of skin tumors and lymphomas. hapyv infections of syrian hamsters represent an important and pioneering tumor model. experimental infections of syrian hamsters of different colonies ...202134068409
disappearance of tbev circulation among rodents in a natural focus in alsace, eastern france.tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev) depends mainly on a fragile mode of transmission, the co-feeding between infected nymphs and larvae on rodents, and thus persists under a limited set of biotic and abiotic conditions. if these conditions change, natural tbev foci might be unstable over time. we conducted a longitudinal study over seven years in a mountain forest in alsace, eastern france, located at the western border of known tbev distribution. the objectives were (i) to monitor the persiste ...202033182764
peculiarities of hematopoiesis in small rodents from the chornobyl exclusion zone on the background of extreme environment.radiobiological investigations of natural populations of myodes glareolus (bank vole) from the chornobyl exclusion zone, namely within a highly radioactive site of the red forest were carried out. the complex of hematological and cytogenetic parameters of the bank voles inhabiting the contaminated site was studied before the site was flooded, in 2012, and after it drained, in 2015. a significant increase in micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes, alterations in bone marrow and peripheral bloo ...202030033147
in vivo characterization of a bank vole-derived cowpox virus isolate in natural hosts and the rat model.cowpox virus (cpxv) belongs to the genus orthopoxvirus in the poxviridae family and is endemic in western eurasia. based on seroprevalence studies in different voles from continental europe and uk, voles are suspected to be the major reservoir host. recently, a cpxv was isolated from a bank vole (myodes glareolus) in germany that showed a high genetic similarity to another isolate originating from a cotton-top tamarin (saguinus oedipus). here we characterize this first bank vole-derived cpxv iso ...202032093366
temporal dynamics of two pathogenic hantaviruses among rodents in hungary.hantaviruses are worldwide pathogens, which often cause serious or even fatal diseases in humans. hosts are predominantly in the form of rodents and soricomorphs; however, bats are also described as an important reservoir. in hungary, representatives of two human pathogenic species of the genus orthohantavirus are present: the dobrava-belgrade orthohantavirus and puumala orthohantavirus. in hungarian forests, the dominant rodent species are apodemus flavicollis, apodemus agrarius, apodemus sylva ...202031821117
salmonella and antimicrobial resistance in wild rodents-true or false threat?transmission of pathogenic and resistant bacteria from wildlife to the bacterial gene pool in nature affects the ecosystem. hence, we studied intestine content of five wild rodent species: the yellow-necked wood mouse (apodemus flavicollis, n = 121), striped field mouse (apodemus agrarius, n = 75), common vole (microtus arvalis, n = 37), bank vole (myodes glareolus, n = 3), and house mouse (mus musculus, n = 1) to assess their potential role as an antimicrobial resistance (amr) and salmonella ve ...202032967245
associations between different laelapidae (mesostigmata: dermanyssoidea) mites and small rodents from lithuania.associations between species of laelapidae (mesostigmata: dermanyssoidea) mites and small rodents have been studied insufficiently. the aim of this study was to investigate infestation patterns of small rodent species by laelapid mites at six locations in lithuania. a total of 728 rodents were snap- and live-trapped in various locations during 2013-2016. eight rodent species were identified, namely apodemus flavicollis, apodemus agrarius, myodes glareolus, micromys minutus, mus musculus, microtu ...202032307619
comparison of spleen transcriptomes of two wild rodent species reveals differences in the immune response against borrelia afzelii.different host species often differ considerably in susceptibility to a given pathogen, but the causes of such differences are rarely known. the natural hosts of the tick-transmitted bacterium borrelia afzelii, which is one of causative agents of lyme borreliosis in humans, include a variety of small mammals like voles and mice. previous studies have shown that b. afzelii-infected bank voles (myodes glareolus) have about ten times higher bacterial load than infected yellow-necked mice (apodemus ...202032724523
distribution of ticks, tick-borne pathogens and the associated local environmental factors including small mammals and livestock, in two french agricultural sites: the oscar database.in europe, ticks are major vectors of both human and livestock pathogens (e.g. lyme disease, granulocytic anaplasmosis, bovine babesiosis). agricultural landscapes, where animal breeding is a major activity, constitute a mosaic of habitat types of various quality for tick survival and are used at different frequencies by wild and domestic hosts across seasons. this habitat heterogeneity, in time and space, conditions the dynamics of these host-vector-pathogen systems and thus drives acarological ...202032431559
molecular detection of bartonella spp. in rodents in chernobyl exclusion zone, ukraine.bacteria of the genus bartonella are obligate parasites of vertebrates. their distribution range covers almost the entire world, from the americas to europe and asia. many bartonella species use rodents as reservoirs, and while much is known about bartonella infection of rodents in central europe, its extent is poorly understood in eastern europe.202032948932
selective predation by owls on infected bank voles (myodes glareolus) as a possible sentinel of tularemia outbreaks.tularemia is a widely spread zoonotic disease in the northern hemisphere, caused by the bacterium francisella tularensis. in humans, tularemia is an acute febrile illness with incidence peaks in late summer to early autumn of outbreak years, but there is no early warning system in place that can reduce the impact of disease by providing timely risk information. in this study, we revisit previously unpublished data on f. tularensis in water, sediment, soil, and small mammals from 1984 in northern ...202032349636
role of donor genotype in rt-quic seeding activity of chronic wasting disease prions using human and bank vole substrates.chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids. this fatal neurodegenerative disease is caused by misfolding of the cellular prion protein (prpc) to pathogenic conformers (prpsc), and the pathogenic forms accumulate in the brain and other tissues. real-time quaking induced conversion (rt-quic) can be used for the detection of prions and for prion strain discrimination in a variety of biological tissues from humans and animals. in this study, we evaluated how eith ...202031910440
coxiella burnetii and francisella tularensis in wild small mammals from the czech republic.wild rodents are an important source of the tick-borne pathogens coxiella burnetii and francisella tularensis. the aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of antibodies and possible coexistence of these pathogens in wild small mammals from three localities in the czech republic. a total of 614 wild small mammals (324 apodemus flavicollis, 145 myodes glareolus, 50 sorex araneus, 48 a. sylvaticus, 40 a. agrarius, six microtus arvalis and one talpa europaea) were trapped between 2012 and 2015 ...202031848075
lack of evidence on the susceptibility of ticks and wild rodent species to pcv3 infection.porcine circovirus 3 (pcv3) is an emerging virus, first detected in 2016 and widespread in the swine industry. although not considered a primary pathogen, pcv3 is potentially linked to several clinical conditions that threaten swine farming. wild boars are considered the main reservoir species for pcv3 infection in the wild, but recent detection in roe deer, chamois and associated ticks has complicated our understanding of its epidemiology. much emphasis has been placed on ticks, as competent ve ...202032825701
why hantavirus prevalence does not always increase with host density: modeling the role of host spatial behavior and maternal antibodies.for wildlife diseases, one often relies on host density to predict host infection prevalence and the subsequent force of infection to humans in the case of zoonoses. indeed, if transmission is mainly indirect, i.e., by way of the environment, the force of infection is expected to increase with host density, yet the laborious field data supporting this theoretical claim are often absent. hantaviruses are among those zoonoses that have been studied extensively over the past decades, as they pose a ...202033134187
extending the enterovirus lead: could a related picornavirus be responsible for diabetes in humans?we found an association between the abundance of rodents in the wild and onset of type 1 diabetes (t1d) in humans. a picornavirus named ljungan virus (lv) was subsequently isolated from wild bank voles. both picornavirus-like particles detected by electron microscopy and lv antigen visualized by immunohistochemistry was seen in islets of langerhans in diabetic wild bank voles. lv antigen has also been found in islets of langerhans in a patient with recent onset of t1d and in the commonly used bi ...202032927606
ticks, fleas and rodent-hosts analyzed for the presence of borrelia miyamotoi in slovakia: the first record of borrelia miyamotoi in a haemaphysalis inermis tick.in slovakia, little knowledge is available on the occurrence, hosts and vectors of borrelia miyamotoi of the relapsing fever group. in the current study, 2160 questing and rodent-attached ticks of six species (ixodes ricinus, ixodes trianguliceps, dermacentor marginatus, dermacentor reticulatus, haemaphysalis concinna and haemaphysalis inermis), 279 fleas belonging to 9 species (ctenophthalmus agyrtes, ctenophthalmus solutus, ctenophthalmus assimilis, megabothris turbidus, amalareus penicilliger ...202032723657
how bank vole-puuv interactions influence the eco-evolutionary processes driving nephropathia epidemica epidemiology-an experimental and genomic approach.in europe, puumala virus (puuv) is responsible for nephropathia epidemica (ne), a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (hfrs). despite the presence of its reservoir, the bank vole, on most of french territory, the geographic distribution of ne cases is heterogeneous and ne endemic and non-endemic areas have been reported. in this study we analyzed whether bank vole-puuv interactions could partly shape these epidemiological differences. we performed crossed-experimental infections u ...202032993044
identification of a homology-independent linchpin domain controlling mouse and bank vole prion protein conversion.prions are unorthodox pathogens that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and other mammals. prion propagation occurs through the self-templating of the pathogenic conformer prpsc, onto the cell-expressed conformer, prpc. here we study the conversion of prpc to prpsc using a recombinant mouse prpsc conformer (mouse protein-only recprpsc) as a unique tool that can convert bank vole but not mouse prpc substrates in vitro. thus, its templating ability is not dependent on sequence homolo ...202032898162
on the doorstep, rodents in homesteads and kitchen gardens.scarcely investigated in terms of small mammals, kitchen gardens and homesteads form a subset of environments. using results of snap trapping, we present the first data on small mammal species diversity, gender and age structure, relative abundance, body fitness, and reproduction parameters in these commensal habitats (kitchen gardens, homestead gardens, houses, and outbuildings). we expected that (i) house mice should be the dominant species in buildings, while striped field mice should be domi ...202032429138
circulation of rickettsia species and rickettsial endosymbionts among small mammals and their ectoparasites in eastern slovakia.bacteria belonging to the genus rickettsia are known as causative agents of vector-borne zoonotic diseases, such as spotted fevers, epidemic typhus and endemic typhus. different species of ticks, mites and fleas could act as reservoirs and arthropod vectors of different pathogenic rickettsia species. the aim of this work was to establish active surveillance of rickettsia spp. in mites, ticks and fleas collected from small mammals (rodents and shrews) in eastern slovakia. a total of 964 animal ea ...202032382991
detection of rickettsia spp. in fleas collected from small mammals in slovakia, central europe.this survey is aimed at investigation of species composition of fleas removed from small terrestrial mammals captured in rural, suburban, and urban types of habitat and molecular screening of the presence and diversity of rickettsia species in collected ectoparasites. in total, 279 fleas (siphonaptera) belonging to 9 species of 2 families, ceratophyllidae and hystrichopsyllidae, were collected from 115 (46%) out of 250 trapped small mammals of eight species (apodemus agrarius, apodemus flavicoll ...202032366189
molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of orthohantaviruses in small mammals in western poland.orthohantaviruses are negative-sense, single-stranded rna viruses harbored by multiple small mammals. dobrava-belgrade virus (dobv) and puumala virus (puuv) cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (hfrs) in europe. in poland, serological surveys have demonstrated antibodies against dobv and puuv in patients with hfrs. molecular evidence of dobv and puuv has been found in apodemus flavicollis and myodes glareolus, respectively, in southeastern poland, and seewis virus (swsv) has been reported ...202032314690
my niche: individual spatial niche specialization affects within- and between-species interactions.intraspecific trait variation is an important determinant of fundamental ecological interactions. many of these interactions are mediated by behaviour. therefore, interindividual differences in behaviour should contribute to individual niche specialization. comparable with variation in morphological traits, behavioural differentiation between individuals should limit similarity among competitors and thus act as a mechanism maintaining within-species variation in ecological niches and facilitatin ...202031937229
cocirculation of two orthohantavirus species in small mammals of the northwestern ukraine.rodent-borne hantaviruses have been reported in many of the countries surrounding ukraine; however, to date we have no knowledge of the viral strains circulating in ukraine within reservoirs such as the striped field mouse (apodemus agrarius), the yellow-necked field mouse (apodemus flavicollis), and the bank vole (myodes glareolus). to determine the prevalence of hantaviruses in ukraine, we captured 1,261 mammals, of which 1,109 were rodents, in 58 field sites within the province of volyn in we ...202031917639
rodents as intermediate hosts of cestode parasites of mammalian carnivores and birds of prey in poland, with the first data on the life-cycle of mesocestoides melesi.rodents constitute an important part of the diet of many carnivore species. this predator-prey food chain is exploited by helminth parasites, such as cestodes, whose larval stages develop in rodents and then mature to the adult stage in predators. the main aim of our study was to use molecular techniques for identification of cestode species recovered from both intermediate and definitive hosts, with a particular focus on the genus mesocestoides.202032087754
tick-borne encephalitis virus: seasonal and annual variation of epidemiological parameters related to nymph-to-larva transmission and exposure of small mammals.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-yea ...202032605114
the hidden faces of a biological invasion: parasite dynamics of invaders and natives.one of the primary drivers of emerging infectious diseases (eids) is human intervention via host or parasite translocations. a unique opportunity to study host and parasite dispersal during a bio-invasion currently exists in ireland due to the introduction of the bank vole (myodes glareolus) in the 1920s. the continuing range expansion of m. glareolus within ireland presents a natural large-scale perturbation experiment. this study used the irish m. glareolus model to conduct a spatiotemporal st ...202031981672
blood parasites (babesia, hepatozoon and trypanosoma) of rodents, lithuania: part i. molecular and traditional microscopy approach.wild rodents, as natural reservoir hosts carrying various species of pathogens, play an important role in the evolution and emergence of zoonotic diseases. in this study, protist parasites, namely babesia sp., trypanosoma sp. and hepatozoon sp. were studied in rodent populations in lithuania. two hundred forty rodent specimens of seven species were analysed by a combined approach using polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-based techniques and traditional microscopic examination. the total prevalence ...202031897793
small mammal responses to long-term large-scale woodland creation: the influence of local and landscape-level attributes.habitat loss and fragmentation greatly affect biological diversity. actions to counteract their negative effects include increasing the quality, amount and connectivity of seminatural habitats at the landscape scale. however, much of the scientific evidence underpinning landscape restoration comes from studies of habitat loss and fragmentation, and it is unclear whether the ecological principles derived from habitat removal investigations are applicable to habitat creation. in addition, the rela ...202031670888
detection and genetic characterization of puumala orthohantavirus s-segment in areas of france non-endemic for nephropathia epidemica.puumala virus (puuv) in europe causes nephropathia epidemica (ne), a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (hfrs). the incidence of ne is highly heterogeneous spatially, whereas the geographic distribution of the wild reservoir of puuv, the bank vole, is essentially homogeneous. our understanding of the processes driving this heterogeneity remains incomplete due to gaps in knowledge. little is known about the current distribution and genetic variation of puuv in the areas outside th ...202032882953
spatial and temporal evolutionary patterns in puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) s segment.the s segment of bank vole (clethrionomys glareolus)-associated puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) contains two overlapping open reading frames coding for the nucleocapsid (n) and a non-structural (nss) protein. to identify the influence of bank vole population dynamics on puuv s segment sequence evolution and test for spillover infections in sympatric rodent species, during 2010-2014, 883 bank voles, 357 yellow-necked mice (apodemus flavicollis), 62 wood mice (a. sylvaticus), 149 common voles (micr ...202032650456
revealing mechanisms of mating plug function under sexual selection.mating plugs are produced by many sexually reproducing animals and are hypothesized to promote male fertilization success under promiscuous mating. however, tests of this hypothesis have been constrained by an inability to discriminate ejaculates of different males in direct competition. here, we use stable isotope labeling in vivo and proteomics to achieve this in a promiscuous rodent, myodes glareolus we show that, although the first male's plug is usually dislodged, it can be retained through ...202033077605
geographical distribution of ljungan virus in small mammals in europe.ljungan virus (lv), which belongs to the parechovirus genus in the picornaviridae family, was first isolated from bank voles (myodes glareolus) in sweden in 1998 and proposed as a zoonotic agent. to improve knowledge of the host association and geographical distribution of lv, tissues from 1685 animals belonging to multiple rodent and insectivore species from 12 european countries were screened for lv-rna using reverse transcriptase (rt)-pcr. in addition, we investigated how the prevalence of lv ...202032487013
two hundred and fifty-four metagenome-assembled bacterial genomes from the bank vole gut microbiota.vertebrate gut microbiota provide many essential services to their host. to better understand the diversity of such services provided by gut microbiota in wild rodents, we assembled metagenome shotgun sequence data from a small mammal, the bank vole myodes glareolus (rodentia, cricetidae). we were able to identify 254 metagenome assembled genomes (mags) that were at least 50% (n = 133 mags), 80% (n = 77 mags) or 95% (n = 44 mags) complete. as typical for a rodent gut microbiota, these mags are d ...202032968071
intraspecific variation of body size in fleas: effects of host sex and flea phenology.we investigated the effects of host sex and flea phenology (estimated as periods of high versus low abundance) on individual body size in four fleas of small mammals. amalaraeus penicilliger and ctenophthalmus uncinatus are ectoparasites of the bank vole myodes glareolus, whereas doratopsylla dasycnema and palaeopsylla soricis are ectoparasites of the common shrew sorex araneus. we found significant effects of host sex and phenology on the body size of all flea species, although there was no gen ...202032888066
implication of membrane androgen receptor (zip9) in cell senescence in regressed testes of the bank vole.here, we studied the impact of exposure to short daylight conditions on the expression of senescence marker (p16), membrane androgen receptor (zip9) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (erk 1/2), as well as cyclic amp (camp) and testosterone levels in the testes of mature bank voles. animals were assigned to groups based on an analysis of testis diameter, weight, seminiferous tubule diameter and the interstitial tissue area: group 1, not fully regressed (the highest parameters); group 2 (m ...202032961828
the utility of bank voles for studying prion disease.the transmission of prions between species is typically an inefficient process due to the species barrier, which represents incompatibility between prion seed and substrate molecules. bank voles (myodes glareolus) are an exception to this rule, as they are susceptible to a diverse range of prion strains from many different animal species. in particular, bank voles can be efficiently infected with most types of human prions and have played a critical role in validating variably protease-sensitive ...202032958232
do bank voles (myodes glareolus) trapped in live and lethal traps show differences in tick burden?in studies assessing tick abundance, the use of live traps to capture and euthanize rodent hosts is a commonly used method to determine their burden. however, captive animals can experience debilitating or fatal capture stress as a result prior to collection. an alternative method is the use of lethal traps, but this can potentially lead to tick drop-off between the time of capture and collection. in this study, in order to determine whether subjecting animals to capture stress is inevitable, we ...202032941509
the effect of chronic low-dose environmental radiation on organ mass of bank voles in the chernobyl exclusion zone.animals are exposed to environmental ionizing radiation (ir) externally through proximity to contaminated soil and internally through ingestion and inhalation of radionuclides. internal organs can respond to radioactive contamination through physiological stress. chronic stress can compromise the size of physiologically active organs, but studies on wild mammal populations are scarce. the effects of environmental ir contamination on organ masses were studied by using a wild rodent inhabiting the ...202032658635
applying the anna karenina principle for wild animal gut microbiota: temporal stability of the bank vole gut microbiota in a disturbed environment.gut microbiota play an important role in host health. yet, the drivers and patterns of microbiota imbalance (dysbiosis) in wild animals remain largely unexplored. one hypothesised outcome of stress on animal microbiomes is a destabilised microbial community that is characterised by an increase in inter-individual differences compared with microbiomes of healthy animals, which are expected to be (a) temporally stable and (b) relatively similar among individuals. this set of predictions for respon ...202032939769
relationship between heavy metal accumulation and histological alterations in voles from alpine and forest habitats of the west carpathians.the interaction between toxic heavy metals and bio-elements in internal organs and femoral bones and their potential impacts on bone structural properties and renal histopathological changes in bank voles and snow voles were investigated. our results reveal that heavy metals hg and pb accumulate more in femoral bones of alpine habitats than forests. in snow voles, the parameters of the primary osteons' vascular canals (length, average perimeter and area) simultaneously decreased with an increase ...202032562226
the metabolic performance predicts home range size of bank voles: a support for the behavioral-bioenergetics theory.the pace-of-life syndrome describes covariation between life-history, behavioral and physiological traits; while, the emerging behavioral-bioenergetics theory proposes mechanistic links between those traits in a spatial-ecological context. however, little is known about the association between the limits to metabolic rate and spatial performance (i.e., mobility, home range size) in free-living individuals. here we show, for the first time at the intra-specific level, that mobility traits increas ...202032638120
combining genome-wide association study and fst -based approaches to identify targets of borrelia-mediated selection in natural rodent hosts.recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies provide opportunities to gain novel insights into the genetic basis of phenotypic trait variation. yet to date, progress in our understanding of genotype-phenotype associations in nonmodel organisms in general and natural vertebrate populations in particular has been hampered by small sample sizes typically available for wildlife populations and a resulting lack of statistical power, as well as a limited ability to control for false-posi ...202032163646
ticks on the channel islands and implications for public health.the channel islands are british crown dependencies located in the english channel to the west of the normandy coast in northern france. whilst there have been studies investigating tick occurrence and distribution in different habitats on the mainland of the uk and in france, the channel islands have been relatively understudied. as such, little is known about whether the sheep tick, ixodes ricinus, is present, and whether there is a potential risk of lyme borreliosis on the channel islands. to ...202032046929
prevalence of the puumala orthohantavirus strains in the pre-kama area of the republic of tatarstan, russia.puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) causes nephropathia epidemica (ne), a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (hfrs) commonly diagnosed in europe. the majority of hfrs cases in the european part of russia are diagnosed in the volga federal district, which includes the republic of tatarstan (rt). the current study aims to analyze the genetic variability of puuv in pre-kama region of the rt bounded by the volga, kama, and vyatka rivers. in 2017, bank voles were caught in seven isolated f ...202032640614
isolation and characterization of new puumala orthohantavirus strains from germany.orthohantaviruses are re-emerging rodent-borne pathogens distributed all over the world. here, we report the isolation of a puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) strain from bank voles caught in a highly endemic region around the city osnabrück, north-west germany. coding and non-coding sequences of all three segments (s, m, and l) were determined from original lung tissue, after isolation and after additional passaging in veroe6 cells and a bank vole-derived kidney cell line. different single amino ac ...202032328924
orthohantavirus isolated in reservoir host cells displays minimal genetic changes and retains wild-type infection properties.: orthohantaviruses are globally emerging zoonotic pathogens. while the reservoir host role of several rodent species is well-established, detailed research on the mechanisms of host-othohantavirus interactions has been constrained by the lack of an experimental system that is able to effectively replicate natural infections in controlled settings. here we report the isolation, and genetic and phenotypic characterization of a novel puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) in cells derived from its reservo ...202032316667
isolation of infectious, non-fibrillar and oligomeric prions from a genetic prion disease.prions are transmissible agents causing lethal neurodegenerative diseases that are composed of aggregates of misfolded cellular prion protein (prpsc). despite non-fibrillar oligomers having been proposed as the most infectious prion particles, prions purified from diseased brains usually consist of large and fibrillar prpsc aggregates, whose protease-resistant core (prpres) encompasses the whole c-terminus of prp. in contrast, prpsc from gerstmann-sträussler-scheinker disease associated with ala ...202032303068
spatio-temporal variation of metals and organic contaminants in bank voles (myodes glareolus).environmental contamination with metals and organic compounds is of increasing concern for ecosystem and human health. still, our knowledge about spatial distribution, temporal changes and ecotoxicological fate of metals and organic contaminants in wildlife is limited. we studied concentrations of 69 elements and 50 organic compounds in 300 bank voles (myodes glareolus), europe's most common mammal, sampled in spring and autumn 2017-2018 in five monitoring areas, representing three biogeographic ...202031955071
deciphering copper coordination in the mammalian prion protein amyloidogenic domain.prions are pathological isoforms of the cellular prion protein that is responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (tse). cellular prion protein interacts with copper, cu(ii), through octarepeat and nonoctarepeat (non-or) binding sites. the molecular details of cu(ii) coordination within the non-or region are not well characterized yet. by the means of small angle x-ray scattering and x-ray absorption spectroscopic methods, we have investigated the effect of cu(ii) on prion protein ...202031952810
generalist eimeria species in rodents: multilocus analyses indicate inadequate resolution of established markers.intracellular parasites of the genus eimeria are described as tissue/host-specific. phylogenetic classification of rodent eimeria suggested that some species have a broader host range than previously assumed. we explore whether eimeria spp. infecting house mice are misclassified by the most widely used molecular markers due to a lack of resolution, or whether, instead, these parasite species are indeed infecting multiple host species.with the commonly used markers (18s/coi), we recovered monophy ...202032076521
patchy occurrence of cowpox virus in voles from germany.cowpox virus (cpxv), genus orthopoxvirus, family poxviridae, is a zoonotic pathogen in eurasian wild rodents. high seroprevalences have been reported previously for vole and murine species in europe. in contrast, viral dna was only rarely detected, and very few reservoir-derived cpxv isolates exist. in this study, cpxv dna and cpxv-reactive antibodies were monitored in wild small mammals for 5 years in four german federal states. screening of liver tissues of 3966 animals by cpxv real-time pcr ( ...202032013767
heterogeneous puumala orthohantavirus situation in endemic regions in germany in summer 2019.puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) causes most human hantavirus disease cases in europe. puuv disease outbreaks are usually synchronized germany-wide driven by beech mast-induced irruptions of its host (bank vole, myodes glareolus). recent data indicate high vole abundance, high puuv prevalence and high human incidence in summer 2019 for some regions, but elsewhere values were low to moderate. this significant lack of synchrony among regions in germany is in contrast to previous studies. health inst ...202031674714
one-decade-spanning transgenerational effects of historic radiation dose in wild populations of bank voles exposed to radioactive contamination following the chernobyl nuclear disaster.the concept of historic radiation doses associated with accidental radioactive releases and their role in leading to radiation-induced non-targeted effects on affected wild animals are currently being evaluated. previous research studying fukushima butterfly, chernobyl bird and fruit fly populations shows that the effects are transgenerational, underlined by the principles of genomic instability, and varied from one species to another. to further expand on the responses of and their sensitivity ...202031627157
retraction: in vitro studies of interactions between frequent and unique mrnas and cytoplasmic factors from brain tissue of several species of wild timber voles of northern eurasia, clethrionomys glareolus, clethrionomys frater and clethrionomys gapperi: a new criticism to a modern molecular-genetic concept of biological evolution. 202031701785
does selection for behavioral and physiological performance traits alter glucocorticoid responsiveness in bank voles?one of the key elements of an animal's darwinian fitness is its ability to adequately respond to and cope with challenging situations. glucocorticoid hormones, such as corticosterone, affect an organism's ability to overcome such challenges. we hypothesized that changes in the glucocorticoid response curve contribute to the evolution of increased performance during challenging conditions, and tested it on bank voles (myodes glareolus) from a multidirectional artificial selection experiment, whic ...202032561625
balancing selection in pattern recognition receptor signalling pathways is associated with gene function and pleiotropy in a wild rodent.pathogen-mediated balancing selection is commonly considered to play an important role in the maintenance of genetic diversity, in particular in immune genes. however, the factors that may influence which immune genes are the targets of such selection are largely unknown. to address this, here we focus on pattern recognition receptor (prr) signalling pathways, which play a key role in innate immunity. we used whole-genome resequencing data from a population of bank voles (myodes glareolus) to te ...202032374503
effectiveness of antivirals in a type 1 diabetes model and the move toward human trials.a picornavirus (ljungan virus [lv]) originally found in bank voles has been associated with type 1 diabetes (t1d) in its wild rodent reservoir, but also associated with t1d in a laboratory rat model for the disease, the diabetes prone (dp) bio breeding (bb) rat. successful treatment of diabetes in this rat model, using experimental antiviral compounds directed against picornavirus, has been reported. in the present study we show significant clinical response in dp-bb rats using antiviral compoun ...202032758075
cofactor and glycosylation preferences for in vitro prion conversion are predominantly determined by strain conformation.prion diseases are caused by the misfolding of a host-encoded glycoprotein, prpc, into a pathogenic conformer, prpsc. infectious prions can exist as different strains, composed of unique conformations of prpsc that generate strain-specific biological traits, including distinctive patterns of prpsc accumulation throughout the brain. prion strains from different animal species display different cofactor and prpc glycoform preferences to propagate efficiently in vitro, but it is unknown whether the ...202032294141
high genomic diversity in the bank vole at the northern apex of a range expansion: the role of multiple colonizations and end-glacial refugia.the history of repeated northern glacial cycling and southern climatic stability has long dominated explanations for how genetic diversity is distributed within temperate species in eurasia and north america. however, growing evidence indicates the importance of cryptic refugia for northern colonization dynamics. an important geographic region to assess this is fennoscandia, where recolonization at the end of the last glaciation was restricted to specific routes and temporal windows. we used gen ...202032248595
full restoration of specific infectivity and strain properties from pure mammalian prion protein.the protein-only hypothesis predicts that infectious mammalian prions are composed solely of prpsc, a misfolded conformer of the normal prion protein, prpc. however, protein-only prpsc preparations lack significant levels of prion infectivity, leading to the alternative hypothesis that cofactor molecules are required to form infectious prions. here, we show that prions with parental strain properties and full specific infectivity can be restored from protein-only prpsc in vitro. the restoration ...201930908557
the effect of monoamines reuptake inhibitors on aerobic exercise performance in bank voles from a selection experiment.exercise performance depends on both physiological abilities (e.g., muscle strength) and behavioral characteristics (e.g., motivation). we tested the hypothesis that evolution of increased aerobic exercise performance can be facilitated by evolution of neuropsychological mechanisms responsible for motivation to undertake physical activity. we used a unique model system: lines of bank voles myodes glareolus selected for high swim-induced aerobic metabolism ("aerobic" a lines). in generation 21, v ...201931413714
experimental evolution of personality traits: open-field exploration in bank voles from a multidirectional selection experiment.evolution of complex physiological adaptations could be driven by natural selection acting on behavioral traits. consequently, animal personality traits and their correlation with physiological traits have become an engaging research area. here, we applied a unique experimental evolution model-lines of bank voles selected for (a) high exercise-induced aerobic metabolism, (h) ability to cope with low-quality herbivorous diet, and (p) intensity of predatory behavior, that is, traits shaping evolut ...201931413710
use of different rt-quic substrates for detecting cwd prions in the brain of norwegian cervids.chronic wasting disease (cwd) is a highly contagious prion disease affecting captive and free-ranging cervid populations. cwd has been detected in united states, canada, south korea and, most recently, in europe (norway, finland and sweden). animals with cwd release infectious prions in the environment through saliva, urine and feces sustaining disease spreading between cervids but also potentially to other non-cervids ruminants (e.g. sheep, goats and cattle). in the light of these consideration ...201931819115
wildfire-induced short-term changes in a small mammal community increase prevalence of a zoonotic pathogen?natural disturbances like droughts and fires are important determinants of wildlife community structure and are suggested to have important implications for prevalence of wildlife-borne pathogens. after a major wildfire affecting >1,600 ha of boreal forest in sweden in 2006, we took the rare opportunity to study the short-term response (2007-2010 and 2015) of small mammal community structure, population dynamics, and prevalence of the puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) hosted by bank voles (myodes g ...201931788190
exposure to environmental radionuclides associates with tissue-specific impacts on telomerase expression and telomere length.telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, can be shortened when individuals are exposed to stress. in some species, the enzyme telomerase is expressed in adult somatic tissues, and potentially protects or lengthens telomeres. telomeres can be damaged by ionizing radiation and oxidative stress, although the effect of chronic exposure to elevated levels of radiation on telomere maintenance is unknown for natural populations. we quantified telomerase expression and telomere l ...201930696885
[first case of nephropathia epidemica in southern sweden].nephropathia epidemica (ne) is the european version of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. ne is caused by the puumala type of hantavirus with the bank vole (clethrionomys glareolus) as the natural reservoir. endemic regions include northern sweden with an incidence of 53 to 569 cases per year, depending on the cyclic variation of rodent populations. in southern sweden, south of the mälardalen region, no cases of ne have been described without a historical account of travel to endemic areas i ...201930694519
phase- and season-dependent changes in social behaviour in cyclic vole populations.social behaviour has been linked to hypotheses explaining multiannual population cycles of small rodents. in this paper we aimed to test empirically that the degree of space sharing among adult breeding female voles is higher during the increase phase than in the crash phase, and that the degree of sociality is positively related to population growth rate as suggested by lambin and krebs (oikos 61:126-132, 1991) and andreassen et al. (oikos 122:507-515, 2013). we followed 24 natural bank vole my ...201930683090
diet shift in bank voles induced by competition from grey-sided voles?grey-sided voles (myodes rufocanus) and bank voles (myodes glareolus) co-exist in boreal forests in northern scandinavia. previous studies suggest that the 2 species interact interspecifically, the grey-sided vole being the dominant species. we tested the hypothesis that bank voles shift their diet due to competition with the dominant grey-sided vole by studying stable isotope ratios in both species. muscle samples were taken from voles in patches of old forest occupied by only bank voles and pa ...201930585416
zoonotic virus seroprevalence among bank voles, poland, 2002-2010.bank voles in poland are reservoirs of zoonotic viruses. to determine seroprevalence of hantavirus, arenavirus, and cowpox virus and factors affecting seroprevalence, we screened for antibodies against these viruses over 9 years. cowpox virus was most prevalent and affected by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. long-term and multisite surveillance is crucial.201931310209
inheritance of the acoustic signal parameters in interspecific hybrids of the bank (myodes glareolus) and the tien shan (m. centralis) voles.the continuity of behavioral responses in the traits of offspring can be interpreted ambiguously because animal behavior can be transmitted from generation to generation genetically or can be trained. inheritance of the sound signals characteristics in the absence of directional selection is of particular interest, and that was the purpose of the present work.201930813911
shared common ancestry of rodent alphacoronaviruses sampled globally.the recent discovery of novel alphacoronaviruses (alpha-covs) in european and asian rodents revealed that rodent coronaviruses (covs) sampled worldwide formed a discrete phylogenetic group within this genus. to determine the evolutionary history of rodent covs in more detail, particularly the relative frequencies of virus-host co-divergence and cross-species transmission, we recovered longer fragments of cov genomes from previously discovered european rodent alpha-covs using a combination of pcr ...201930704076
consistent within-group covariance of septal and temporal hippocampal neurogenesis with behavioral phenotypes for exploration and memory retention across wild and laboratory small rodents.striking differences in the septo-temporal distribution of neurogenesis are found in small rodents. here, we assessed the association of adult hippocampal neurogenesis with behavioral responses to novelty, temporal and spatial sequence and reversal learning in wild, wild-derived and laboratory rodents using an automated testing apparatus, the intellicage. behaviorally, dba/2 and wild-derived house mice were quickest to explore a novel environment, wild wood mice and bank voles were slowest, and ...201931201873
maternal antibodies provide bank voles with strain-specific protection against infection by the lyme disease pathogen.multistrain microbial pathogens often induce strain-specific antibody responses in their vertebrate hosts. mothers can transmit antibodies to their offspring, which can provide short-term, strain-specific protection against infection. few experimental studies have investigated this phenomenon for multiple strains of zoonotic pathogens occurring in wildlife reservoir hosts. the tick-borne bacterium borrelia afzelii causes lyme disease in europe and consists of multiple strains that cycle between ...201931540991
seroprevalence of trichinella spp. infection in bank voles (myodes glareolus) - a long term study.rodents play an important role as reservoir hosts of zoonotic diseases. as a component of our long-term programme of monitoring parasitic infections in bank vole populations in three ecologically similar sites in ne poland, we screened blood samples for signs of a serological response to the presence of trichinella spp. the overall seroprevalence of trichinella spp. was 1.52%, but prevalence was largely concentrated in one of our three study sites and confined to the oldest individuals in the st ...201931193257
early life of fathers affects offspring fitness in a wild rodent.intergenerational fitness effects on offspring due to the early life of the parent are well studied from the standpoint of the maternal environment, but intergenerational effects owing to the paternal early life environment are often overlooked. nonetheless, recent laboratory studies in mammals and ecologically relevant studies in invertebrates predict that paternal effects can have a major impact on the offspring's phenotype. these nongenetic, environment-dependent paternal effects provide a me ...201931390473
experimental evolution of aerobic exercise performance and hematological traits in bank voles.the maximum rate of aerobic exercise metabolism (vo2max) is a trait informative from both medical and evolutionary perspective, and both the physiological mechanisms limiting its level and its evolution are subject to vivid debate. both comparative analyses and studies on the effects of training or acclimation to aerobically-demanding conditions suggest a role of oxygen transport-related properties of blood in limiting vo2max. here we used a unique experimental evolution model - lines of bank vo ...201931004810
phylogeography of puumala orthohantavirus in europe.puumala virus is an rna virus hosted by the bank vole (myodes glareolus) and is today present in most european countries. whilst it is generally accepted that hantaviruses have been tightly co-evolving with their hosts, puumala virus (puuv) evolutionary history is still controversial and so far has not been studied at the whole european level. this study attempts to reconstruct the phylogeographical spread of modern puuv throughout europe during the last postglacial period in the light of an upg ...201931344894
is experimental evolution of an increased aerobic exercise performance in bank voles mediated by endocannabinoid signaling pathway?the level of physical activity achieved in a given situation depends on both physiological abilities and behavioral characteristics (motivation). we used a unique animal model to test a hypothesis that evolution of an increased aerobic exercise performance can be facilitated by evolution of motivation to undertake physical activity, mediated by brain endocannabinoid system. bank voles (myodes glareolus) from "aerobic" a lines selected for 22 generations for high swim-induced aerobic metabolism ( ...201931191344
intergenerational fitness effects of the early life environment in a wild rodent.the early life environment can have profound, long-lasting effects on an individual's fitness. for example, early life quality might (a) positively associate with fitness (a silver spoon effect), (b) stimulate a predictive adaptive response (by adjusting the phenotype to the quality of the environment to maximize fitness) or (c) be obscured by subsequent plasticity. potentially, the effects of the early life environment can persist beyond one generation, though the intergenerational plasticity o ...201931162628
the role of juvenile dermacentor reticulatus ticks as vectors of microorganisms and the problem of 'meal contamination'.juvenile dermacentor reticulatus ticks inhabit nests and burrows of their rodent hosts and cannot be collected from vegetation. to detect vertical transmission of babesia canis in d. reticulatus, we studied larvae and nymphs collected from rodents. however, the molecular techniques used for detection of pathogen dna are sensitive enough to detect not only pathogens vectored by ticks but also those taken up with current or previous blood meals ('meal contamination') or just present in the environ ...201931119415
do phase-dependent life history traits in cyclic voles persist in a common environment?phenotype and life history traits of an individual are a product of environmental conditions and the genome. environment can be current or past, which complicates the distinction between environmental and heritable effects on the phenotype in wild animals. we studied genome-environment interactions on phenotype and life history traits by transplanting bank voles (myodes glareolus) from northern and southern populations, originating from low or high population cycle phases, to common garden condi ...201931065806
how general are generalist parasites? the small mammal part of the lyme disease transmission cycle in two ecosystems in northern europe.the pathogens causing lyme disease are all vectored by generalist tick species found on a wide range of vertebrates, but spatial and annual variation in host use has rarely been quantified. we here compare the load of ixodes ricinus (the vector) on small mammals and investigate the infection prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi s.l. (the pathogen) involved in the enzootic transmission cycle of lyme disease in two contrasting ecosystems in norway from 2014 to 2016. the most common larval tick host ...201931062166
susceptibility to infection with borrelia afzelii and tlr2 polymorphism in a wild reservoir host.the study of polymorphic immune genes in host populations is critical for understanding genetic variation in susceptibility to pathogens. controlled infection experiments are necessary to separate variation in the probability of exposure from genetic variation in susceptibility to infection, but such experiments are rare for wild vertebrate reservoir hosts and their zoonotic pathogens. the bank vole (myodes glareolus) is an important reservoir host of borrelia afzelii, a tick-borne spirochete th ...201931040326
identifying the patterns and drivers of puumala hantavirus enzootic dynamics using reservoir sampling.hantaviruses are zoonotic hemorrhagic fever viruses for which prevention of human spillover remains the first priority in disease management. tailored intervention measures require an understanding of the drivers of enzootic dynamics, commonly inferred from distorted human incidence data. here, we use longitudinal sampling of approximately three decades of puumala orthohantavirus (puuv) evolution in isolated reservoir populations to estimate puuv evolutionary rates, and apply these to study the ...201931024739
a single amino acid substitution, found in mammals with low susceptibility to prion diseases, delays propagation of two prion strains in highly susceptible transgenic mouse models.specific variations in the amino acid sequence of prion protein (prp) are key determinants of susceptibility to prion diseases. we previously showed that an amino acid substitution specific to canids confers resistance to prion diseases when expressed in mice and demonstrated its dominant-negative protective effect against a variety of infectious prion strains of different origins and characteristics. here, we show that expression of this single amino acid change significantly increases survival ...201930847740
detection of antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in wild small mammals and sensitivity of pcr and cultivation.the aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies to b. burgdorferi s.l. in wild small mammals in the czech republic and compare sensitivity of pcr and cultivaton. wild small mammals (n = 691) were trapped in years 2010-2014 in three localities of the czech republic. heart rinses (n = 340) and sera (n = 351) were examined by modified indirect elisa. seventy animals were randomly selected for comparison of results of cultivation and pcr. mean annual antiborelian positivity w ...201930827395
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