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Svoboda Karić P, Anđelić Dmitrović B, Mrmić S, Paić A, Bjedov L, Štritof Z, Margaletić J, Kurolt IC. First Molecular Evidence of Seewis Virus in Croatia. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2359. [PMID: 38137960 PMCID: PMC10744651 DOI: 10.3390/life13122359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Orthohantaviruses are mainly carried and transmitted by wild rodents, although during the last decade, they have also been identified in multiple species of shrews and moles. Orthohantavirus, Orthohantavirus seewisense (Seewis virus, SWSV), first detected in Switzerland in a single Sorex araneus (Eurasian common shrew) specimen, has been further described in several European countries, including Croatia's neighboring Slovenia and Hungary. Croatia is a well-known endemic region for several zoonotic agents including three different orthohantaviruses: Orthohantavirus puumalaense (PUUV), Orthohantavirus dobravaense (DOBV), and Orthohantavirus tulaense (TULV). In this study, nine shrews were tested and SWSV RNA was detected in liver, lung, and kidney belonging to two shrews (22.22%), one collected on Medvednica mountain in Zagreb County, and the other in the Stara Gradiška area in lowland Croatia. The phylogenetic analysis of the complete S segment's open reading frame (ORF) and partial L-segment revealed that the Croatian sequences, when compared to sequences from the adjacent geographic regions, form a specific genetic lineage. Two SWSV-positive shrew species-Sorex araneus and Neomys milleri (Mediterranean water shrew)-were identified using barcode-based sequence analysis. Therefore, the SWSV detection in N. milleri throughout the course of this study is seen as a rare find in this shrew species. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular and phylogenetic analysis of SWSV in Croatia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Svoboda Karić
- Research Department, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Mirogojska 8, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Barbara Anđelić Dmitrović
- Research Department, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Mirogojska 8, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Stella Mrmić
- Research Department, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Mirogojska 8, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Antonia Paić
- Research Department, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Mirogojska 8, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Linda Bjedov
- Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zrinka Štritof
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Josip Margaletić
- Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivan-Christian Kurolt
- Research Department, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Mirogojska 8, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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2
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Cekinović Grbeša Đ, Zahirović N, Flego V, Livajić M, Rončević Filipović M, Knežević S, Slavuljica I. Epidemiology and Clinical Course of Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome in New Endemic Area for Hantavirus Infection in Croatia. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1767. [PMID: 37629623 PMCID: PMC10455941 DOI: 10.3390/life13081767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hantaviruses remain an important case of emerging and re-emerging infections in human medicine. This study aimed to analyse the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and outcome of hantavirus infections in the western part of Republic of Croatia, a new geographical area for hantavirus infections. METHODS Retrospective analysis of medical records of patients treated for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) at the infectious diseases Clinic of the Clinical Hospital Center in Rijeka, Croatia, from 1 January 2014, to 31 December 2021. RESULTS During the eight-year period, 251 patients were hospitalized and treated for HFRS, with epidemic outbreaks in years 2014 and 2021. Most patients had a typical clinical course of HFRS and received supportive care. Serological analysis revealed the Puumala Virus (PUUV) as the predominant etiology of the disease. Epidemiological analysis revealed clustering of infections in the region of Gorski Kotar and spread to the area on the Mediterranean coast (Adriatic Sea), which was previously considered an area free from hantavirus infections. CONCLUSIONS The presented results indicate the spread of hantavirus infections in Croatia from the central low-lying parts of the country to the tourist-attractive western area adjacent to the Mediterranean coast, which was previously considered free of hantavirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Đurđica Cekinović Grbeša
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; (V.F.); (M.L.); (M.R.F.); (S.K.); (I.S.)
- Department for Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia;
| | - Nino Zahirović
- Department for Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia;
| | - Viktorija Flego
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; (V.F.); (M.L.); (M.R.F.); (S.K.); (I.S.)
| | - Marija Livajić
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; (V.F.); (M.L.); (M.R.F.); (S.K.); (I.S.)
- Department for Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia;
| | - Mari Rončević Filipović
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; (V.F.); (M.L.); (M.R.F.); (S.K.); (I.S.)
- Department for Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia;
| | - Samira Knežević
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; (V.F.); (M.L.); (M.R.F.); (S.K.); (I.S.)
| | - Irena Slavuljica
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; (V.F.); (M.L.); (M.R.F.); (S.K.); (I.S.)
- Department for Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia;
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4
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Vilibic-Cavlek T, Barbic L, Mrzljak A, Brnic D, Klobucar A, Ilic M, Janev-Holcer N, Bogdanic M, Jemersic L, Stevanovic V, Tabain I, Krcmar S, Vucelja M, Prpic J, Boljfetic M, Jelicic P, Madic J, Ferencak I, Savic V. Emerging and Neglected Viruses of Zoonotic Importance in Croatia. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10010073. [PMID: 33467617 PMCID: PMC7829938 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10010073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Several arboviruses have emerged in Croatia in recent years. Tick-borne encephalitis is endemic in continental counties; however, new natural micro-foci have been detected. Two autochthonous dengue cases were reported in 2010. West Nile virus emerged in 2012, followed by emergence of Usutu virus in 2013. Although high seroprevalence rates of Toscana virus have been detected among residents of Croatian littoral, the virus remains neglected, with only a few clinical cases of neuroinvasive infections reported. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is a neglected neuroinvasive rodent-borne virus. So far, there are no reports on human clinical cases; however, the seroprevalence studies indicate the virus presence in the Croatian mainland. Puumala and Dobrava hantaviruses are widely distributing rodent-borne viruses with sporadic and epidemic occurrence. Hepatitis E virus is an emerging food-borne virus in Croatia. After the emergence in 2012, cases were regularly recorded. Seropositivity varies greatly by region and population group. Rotaviruses represent a significant healthcare burden since rotavirus vaccination is not included in the Croatian national immunization program. Additionally, rotaviruses are widely distributed in the Croatian ecosystem. A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in February 2020 and spread rapidly throughout the country. This review focuses on emerging and neglected viruses of zoonotic importance detected in Croatia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Vilibic-Cavlek
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.B.); (I.T.); (I.F.)
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
- Correspondence:
| | - Ljubo Barbic
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (L.B.); (V.S.); (J.M.)
| | - Anna Mrzljak
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
- Department of Medicine, Merkur University Hospital, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dragan Brnic
- Department of Virology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (D.B.); (L.J.); (J.P.)
| | - Ana Klobucar
- Department of Epidemiology, Andrija Stampar Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Maja Ilic
- Department of Epidemiology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Natasa Janev-Holcer
- Environmental Health Department, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (N.J.-H.); (P.J.)
| | - Maja Bogdanic
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.B.); (I.T.); (I.F.)
| | - Lorena Jemersic
- Department of Virology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (D.B.); (L.J.); (J.P.)
| | - Vladimir Stevanovic
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (L.B.); (V.S.); (J.M.)
| | - Irena Tabain
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.B.); (I.T.); (I.F.)
| | - Stjepan Krcmar
- Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia;
| | - Marko Vucelja
- Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.V.); (M.B.)
| | - Jelena Prpic
- Department of Virology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (D.B.); (L.J.); (J.P.)
| | - Marko Boljfetic
- Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.V.); (M.B.)
| | - Pavle Jelicic
- Environmental Health Department, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (N.J.-H.); (P.J.)
| | - Josip Madic
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (L.B.); (V.S.); (J.M.)
| | - Ivana Ferencak
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.B.); (I.T.); (I.F.)
| | - Vladimir Savic
- Poultry Center, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
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5
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Fevola C, Rossi C, Rosso F, Girardi M, Rosà R, Manica M, Delucchi L, Rocchini D, Garzon-Lopez CX, Arnoldi D, Bianchi A, Buzan E, Charbonnel N, Collini M, Ďureje L, Ecke F, Ferrari N, Fischer S, Gillingham EL, Hörnfeldt B, Kazimírová M, Konečný A, Maas M, Magnusson M, Miller A, Niemimaa J, Nordström Å, Obiegala A, Olsson G, Pedrini P, Piálek J, Reusken CB, Rizzolli F, Romeo C, Silaghi C, Sironen T, Stanko M, Tagliapietra V, Ulrich RG, Vapalahti O, Voutilainen L, Wauters L, Rizzoli A, Vaheri A, Jääskeläinen AJ, Henttonen H, Hauffe HC. Geographical Distribution of Ljungan Virus in Small Mammals in Europe. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020; 20:692-702. [PMID: 32487013 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2019.2542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
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-RNA in bank voles is associated with various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We show that LV is widespread geographically, having been detected in at least one host species in nine European countries. Twelve out of 21 species screened were LV-RNA PCR positive, including, for the first time, the red vole (Myodes rutilus) and the root or tundra vole (Alexandromys formerly Microtus oeconomus), as well as in insectivores, including the bicolored white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon) and the Valais shrew (Sorex antinorii). Results indicated that bank voles are the main rodent host for this virus (overall RT-PCR prevalence: 15.2%). Linear modeling of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that could impact LV prevalence showed a concave-down relationship between body mass and LV occurrence, so that subadults had the highest LV positivity, but LV in older animals was less prevalent. Also, LV prevalence was higher in autumn and lower in spring, and the amount of precipitation recorded during the 6 months preceding the trapping date was negatively correlated with the presence of the virus. Phylogenetic analysis on the 185 base pair species-specific sequence of the 5' untranslated region identified high genetic diversity (46.5%) between 80 haplotypes, although no geographical or host-specific patterns of diversity were detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Fevola
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Chiara Rossi
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Fausta Rosso
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Matteo Girardi
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Roberto Rosà
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,Center for Agriculture Food Environment-C3A, University of Trento and Fondazione E. Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Mattia Manica
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Luca Delucchi
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Duccio Rocchini
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,Center for Agriculture Food Environment-C3A, University of Trento and Fondazione E. Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology-CIBIO, University of Trento, Povo, Italy
| | - Carol X Garzon-Lopez
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,Ecology and Vegetation Physiology Group (EcoFiv), Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Daniele Arnoldi
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bianchi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e Dell'Emilia Romagna "Bruno Ubertini," Brescia, Italy
| | - Elena Buzan
- Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Nathalie Charbonnel
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Margherita Collini
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - L'udovít Ďureje
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Studenec, Czech Republic
| | - Frauke Ecke
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Nicola Ferrari
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Emma L Gillingham
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Salisbury, United Kingdom.,Department of Climate Change and Health, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - Birger Hörnfeldt
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mária Kazimírová
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Institute of Zoology, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Adam Konečný
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy.,Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Miriam Maas
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Magnus Magnusson
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Andrea Miller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department for Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jukka Niemimaa
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Åke Nordström
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anna Obiegala
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.,Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gert Olsson
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Paolo Pedrini
- Sezione Zoologia dei Vertebrati, MUSE-Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy
| | - Jaroslav Piálek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Studenec, Czech Republic
| | - Chantal B Reusken
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands.,Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Franco Rizzolli
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Claudia Romeo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Cornelia Silaghi
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.,Institute of Infectology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Tarja Sironen
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Michal Stanko
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Institute of Zoology, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Institute of Parasitology, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Valentina Tagliapietra
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Olli Vapalahti
- Department of Virology and Immunology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Lucas Wauters
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Annapaola Rizzoli
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Antti Vaheri
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anne J Jääskeläinen
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Virology and Immunology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Heidi C Hauffe
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
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6
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Solak HM, Yanchukov A, Çolak F, Matur F, Sözen M, Ayanoğlu İC, Winternitz JC. Altitudinal Effects on Innate Immune Response of a Subterranean Rodent. Zoolog Sci 2020; 37:31-41. [PMID: 32068372 DOI: 10.2108/zs190067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Immune defense is costly to maintain and deploy, and the optimal investment into immune defense depends on risk of infection. Altitude is a natural environmental factor that is predicted to affect parasite abundance, with lower parasite abundance predicted at higher altitudes due to stronger environmental stressors, which reduce parasite transmission. Using high and low altitude populations of the Turkish blind mole-rat (TBMR) Nannospalax xanthodon, we tested for effects of altitude on constitutive innate immune defense. Field studies were performed with 32 wild animals in 2017 and 2018 from two low- and one high-altitude localities in the Central Taurus Mountains, at respective altitudes of 1010 m, 1115 m, and 2900 m above sea level. We first compared innate standing immune defense as measured by the bacteria-killing ability of blood serum. We then measured corticosterone stress hormone levels, as stressful conditions may affect immune response. Finally, we compared prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites of field-captured TBMR. We found that the bacteria-killing ability of serum is greater in the mole-rat samples from high altitude. There was no significant difference in stress (corticosterone) levels between altitude categories. Coccidian prevalence and abundance were significantly higher in 2017 than 2018 samples, but there was no significant difference in prevalence, abundance, or intensity between altitudes, or between sexes. Small sample sizes may have reduced power to detect true differences; nevertheless, this study provides support that greater standing innate immunity in high altitude animals may reflect greater investment into constitutive defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halil Mert Solak
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Bülent Ecevit University, Farabi Campus, 67100, İncivez, Zonguldak, Turkey
| | - Alexey Yanchukov
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Bülent Ecevit University, Farabi Campus, 67100, İncivez, Zonguldak, Turkey
| | - Faruk Çolak
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Bülent Ecevit University, Farabi Campus, 67100, İncivez, Zonguldak, Turkey
| | - Ferhat Matur
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Dokuz Eylül University, Tınaztepe Campus, 35390, Buca, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mustafa Sözen
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Bülent Ecevit University, Farabi Campus, 67100, İncivez, Zonguldak, Turkey
| | - İhsan Cihan Ayanoğlu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Science, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Jamie C Winternitz
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany,
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