Ticks are common ectoparasites of animals; they also carry many tick-borne pathogens that are often detrimental for the health of both animals and humans. These parasites have been found in subcutaneous tissue, mainly in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), but the reason for this is unknown. In this study we report the first occurrence of the tick in an unusual location in the subcutaneous tissue of the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides. The study was carried out on two adult male raccoon dogs, hunted in Western Poland. After the necropsy, one was found to have a partially decomposed tick, a female Ixodes ricinus, in the groin region.

ABSTRACT:Rhipicephalus microplus is one of the most important ectoparasites of cattle in tropical and subtropical regions. In ticks collected from cattle the pathogens Babesia bovis, Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. can be detected. Here, we report the first detection of the pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Madagascar from ticks infesting cattle. Furthermore, we report for the first time Anaplasma ovis, Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia ewingii and Ehrlichia muris in both R. microplus and in Madagascar. We show no correlation between the detection of B. bovis, Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. DNA within the same tick. Previous reports have demonstrated strong interactions between A. marginale, A. centrale and A. ovis in the same tick, as well between these pathogens and A. phagocytophilum. A strong correlation also existed between the occurrences of Ehrlichia species within the same tick. Our findings suggest that R. microplus ticks are potential vectors and reservoirs of many tick-borne diseases of cattle.

Sexual dimorphism in anatomical traits has been widely studied in animals. Although pelvis dimorphism was mostly studied in humans, it occurs also in many other mammalian species. Here, we investigated sexual dimorphism in the pelvis of the bank vole Myodes glareolus using individuals with known sex and reproductive status of females (parous vs nulliparous). The analyses revealed that the size and shape of pelvis differed significantly between sexes, as well as between nulliparous and parous females. In comparison with males, females had a significantly longer pelvis and pubis bones and a longer obturator foramen length, but a smaller pubis width. Interestingly, the difference between parous and nulliparous females resembles that between females and males: parous females had bigger pelvis, which probably resulted from changes during pregnancy and after birth. Left bones were on average larger than right ones, but the magnitude of directional asymmetry was not different between sex and reproduction group. Moreover, we noticed that fluctuating asymmetry of pelvis and pubis length was higher in females than in males and higher in parous than in nulliparous females, what is presumably associated with locomotor performance. A discriminant function analysis performed for the four bone size traits showed that the traits can be effectively used for a nearly perfect recognition of sexes and also a quite reliable recognition of the reproductive status of females.

Bats have been identified as reservoirs of zoonotic and potentially zoonotic pathogens. Significant progress was made in the field of molecular biology with regard to infectious diseases, especially those that infect more than one species. Molecular methods, sequencing and bioinformatics have recently become irreplaceable tools in emerging infectious diseases research and even outbreak prediction. Modern methods in the molecular biology field have shed more light on the unique relationship between bats and viruses. Here we provide readers with a concise summary of the potential and limitations of molecular methods for studying the ecology of bats and bat-related pathogens and microorganisms.