Factors affecting the component community structure of haemoparasites in common voles ( Microtus arvalis ) from the Mazury Lake District region of Poland

Abstract

The prevalence and abundance of infections with haemoparasites were studied over a 4-year period in Microtus arvalis (common vole, n =321) sampled from fallow grassland sites in north-eastern Poland. Total species richness was five (prevalence= Haemobartonella sp. 63.9%, Bartonella spp. 27.7%, Babesia microti 9.0%, Trypanosoma sp. 8.4% and and Hepatozoon lavieri 3.1%) with 76.9% of the voles carrying at least one species and a mean infracommunity species richness of 1.1. Variation in species richness was determined primarily by season and year, the interaction of these factors, and that of year with host age. The observed frequency distribution of infracommunity species richness did not differ from that predicted by a null model, suggesting that there were no marked associations between the species. Analyses of prevalence and abundance of infection with each species in turn, revealed that overall the principal causes of variation were temporal and seasonal, their interaction, and interactions with intrinsic factors (age and sex), the latter playing only a minor role in their own right. However, the relative importance of these combinations varied and was distinct for each of the species in the study. Prevalence data revealed eight sets of two- and three-way associations between species, mostly dependent to some extent on one of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the model. Analysis of quantitative associations suggested two sets of positive two-way interactions, none of which remained after controlling for the effect of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on the abundance of each species. These data are discussed in the context of the changing ecological profiles in this region of Eastern Europe and, in a wider context, in relation to current understanding of the factors that shape component community structures of haemoparasites in wild rodents.

Molecular examinations of Babesia microti in rodents and rodent-attached ticks from urban and sylvatic habitats in Germany

“…In Mi. agrestis, a former study showed a prevalence of B. microti infection (9 %) comparable to our findings for this rodent species (14.3%) [Pawelczyk et al 2004]. Mi.…”

“…The prevalence of B. microti in small mammals from Slovenia, Great Britain, Poland and Germany ranged between 1.6% and 42% [Duh et al 2003, Bown et al 2008, Karbowiak 2004, Pawelczyk et al 2004, Silaghi et al 2012. Our findings are in line with the lower range of these previous observations (2.1%).…”

Bartonella Infections in Rodents and Bats in Tropics

“…During the last three decades, numerous surveys have been conducted in a variety of rodent communities at many locations. These surveys demonstrated that bartonellae are widely distributed in rodents of numerous species in all continents (Birtles et al,1994;Kosoy et al, 1997;Heller et al, 1998;Hofmeister et al, 1998;Laakkonen et al, 1998;Bermond et al, 2000;Fichet-Calvet et al, 2000;Bajer et al, 2001;Bown et al, 2002;Holmberg et al, 2003;Engbaek & Lawson, 2004;Gundi et al, 2004;Pawelczyk et al, 2004;Pretorius et al, 2004;Tea et al, 2004;Jardine et al, 2005;Kim et al, 2005;Telfer et al, 2005;Markov et al, 2006;Knap et al, 2007). The very first investigation of bartonella infection in rodents from tropic areas was conducted in Yunnan, a province located in southwestern China (Ying et al, 2002).…”

Preliminary studies on the zoonotic importance of rodents as a reservoir of toxocariasis from recreation grounds in Wroclaw (Poland)

“…They can also play an important role as reservoir hosts for vector-borne diseases such as babesiosis, borreliosis or bartonellosis. In recent years, issues concerning the role of small mammals as the aetiological factor of parasitic zoonosis have been discussed widely (Dubinský et al, 1995;Eckert & Deplazes, 2004;Deplazes et al, 2004;Pawelczyk et al, 2004;Antolová et al, 2005;Welc-Falęciak et al, 2008). The growth of interest in epizootiological studies on micromammals has contributed to the development of methods used in diagnosis of zoonotical agents within this group of hosts.…”