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Cuperus T, de Vries A, Jaarsma RI, Sprong H, Maas M. Occurrence of Rickettsia spp., Hantaviridae, Bartonella spp. and Leptospira spp. in European Moles ( Talpa europaea) from the Netherlands. Microorganisms 2022; 11:microorganisms11010041. [PMID: 36677332 PMCID: PMC9861085 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11010041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The European mole (Talpa europaea) has a widespread distribution throughout Europe. However, little is known about the presence of zoonotic pathogens in European moles. We therefore tested 180 moles from the middle and the south of the Netherlands by (q)PCR for the presence of multiple (tick-borne) zoonotic pathogens. Spotted fever Rickettsia was found in one (0.6%), Leptospira spp. in three (1.7%), Bartonella spp. in 69 (38.3%) and Hantaviridae in 89 (49.4%) of the 180 moles. Infections with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Borrelia spp., Spiroplasma spp. and Francisella tularensis were not found. In addition, in a subset of 35 moles no antibodies against Tick-borne encephalitis virus were found. The obtained sequences of Bartonella spp. were closely related to Bartonella spp. sequences from moles in Spain and Hungary. The Hantaviridae were identified as the mole-borne Nova virus, with high sequence similarity to sequences from other European countries, and Bruges virus. Though the zoonotic risk from moles appears limited, our results indicate that these animals do play a role in multiple host-pathogen cycles.
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Dubey JP, Murata FHA, Cerqueira-Cézar CK, Kwok OCH, Su C. Epidemiological Significance of Toxoplasma Gondii Infections in Wild Rodents: 2009-2020. J Parasitol 2021; 107:182-204. [PMID: 33662119 DOI: 10.1645/20-121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infections are common in humans and animals worldwide. Rodents are one of the most important intermediate hosts for T. gondii because they are preyed on by cats, who in turn excrete the environmentally resistant oocysts in their feces and thus spread the infection. Information on T. gondii infections is spread in numerous reports and is not easily accessible to readers. Here, we review prevalence, persistence of infection, clinical disease, epidemiology, and genetic diversity of T. gondii infections in wild rodents worldwide. Data are tabulated by country, by each rodent species alphabetically, and chronologically. Recent genetic diversity of T. gondii strains in rodents is critically evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Dubey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - F H A Murata
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - C K Cerqueira-Cézar
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - O C H Kwok
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - C Su
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0845
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Krijger IM, Ahmed AAA, Goris MGA, Cornelissen JBWJ, Groot Koerkamp PWG, Meerburg BG. Wild rodents and insectivores as carriers of pathogenic Leptospira and Toxoplasma gondii in The Netherlands. Vet Med Sci 2020; 6:623-630. [PMID: 32134214 PMCID: PMC7397885 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Small mammals such as rodents can to carry zoonotic pathogens. Currently, there is impaired knowledge on zoonotic pathogens in rodents and insectivores in the Netherlands. This limits opportunities for preventive measures and complicates risk-assessments for zoonotic transmission to humans. Leptospira spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are present on a list of prioritized emerging pathogens in the Netherlands and were therefore the focus of this study. Both pathogens have the ability to survive under moist environmental conditions. In total, a group of 379 small mammals (rodents & insectivores) were tested on pathogenic Leptospira spp., and 312 on T. gondii. Rodents and insectivores were trapped at various sites, but mostly on pig and dairy farms throughout the country. Over five percent of the animals (5.3%, n = 379) tested positive for Leptospira DNA, and five of the animals (1.6%, n = 312) tested were positive for T. gondii DNA. The animals positive for T.gondii were all brown rats and the ones for Leptospira spp. were various species. Our results show that insectivores and rodents might be used as an indicator for the environmental contamination and/or the contamination in wildlife for Leptospira spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge M. Krijger
- Wageningen University & Research , Livestock ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
- Farm Technology GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Ahmed A. A. Ahmed
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyOIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis (NRL) Academic Medical CentreUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Maria G. A. Goris
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyOIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis (NRL) Academic Medical CentreUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Bastiaan G. Meerburg
- Wageningen University & Research , Livestock ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
- Dutch Pest and Wildlife Expertise Centre (KAD)WageningenThe Netherlands
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Lipman SA, Burt SA. Self-reported prevalence of pests in Dutch households and the use of the health belief model to explore householders' intentions to engage in pest control. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0190399. [PMID: 29284047 PMCID: PMC5746277 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pests in the home are a health risk because they can be vectors for infectious disease, contribute to allergies and cause damage to buildings. The aims of this study were to record which categories of pests were reported in homes and to use a social cognition model, the health belief model, to investigate which psychological factors influence householders' intentions to control pests. An online questionnaire was completed by 413 respondents between 11 September and 31 November 2015. A large majority of respondents reported pests in or around their home within the previous year. The prevalences were: flying insects 98%, crawling insects 85%, rodents 62%, birds 58%, and moles 20%. Regression analysis for the health belief model revealed that perceiving greater benefits and fewer barriers to pest control and expecting severe consequences of zoonotic infections predicted higher intention to control pests. Intentions towards pest control were not influenced by perceiving oneself as susceptible to catching a disease from pests or health motivation (striving towards a healthy lifestyle). Intentions to engage in pest control were lower for households reporting bird prevalence. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving the effectiveness of domestic pest control should focus on increasing the benefits that individuals associate with effective pest control, lowering barriers, and on underlining the severity of the diseases that pests may carry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan A. Lipman
- Department of Social Health & Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sara A. Burt
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Elmore SA, Huyvaert KP, Bailey LL, Iqbal A, Su C, Dixon BR, Alisauskas RT, Gajadhar AA, Jenkins EJ. Multi-scale occupancy approach to estimate Toxoplasma gondii prevalence and detection probability in tissues: an application and guide for field sampling. Int J Parasitol 2016; 46:563-70. [PMID: 27155329 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Increasingly, birds are recognised as important hosts for the ubiquitous parasite Toxoplasma gondii, although little experimental evidence exists to determine which tissues should be tested to maximise the detection probability of T. gondii. Also, Arctic-nesting geese are suspected to be important sources of T. gondii in terrestrial Arctic ecosystems, but the parasite has not previously been reported in the tissues of these geese. Using a domestic goose model, we applied a multi-scale occupancy framework to demonstrate that the probability of detection of T. gondii was highest in the brain (0.689, 95% confidence interval=0.486, 0.839) and the heart (0.809, 95% confidence interval=0.693, 0.888). Inoculated geese had an estimated T. gondii infection probability of 0.849, (95% confidence interval=0.643, 0.946), highlighting uncertainty in the system, even under experimental conditions. Guided by these results, we tested the brains and hearts of wild Ross's Geese (Chen rossii, n=50) and Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens, n=50) from Karrak Lake, Nunavut, Canada. We detected 51 suspected positive tissue samples from 33 wild geese using real-time PCR with melt-curve analysis. The wild goose prevalence estimates generated by our multi-scale occupancy analysis were higher than the naïve estimates of prevalence, indicating that multiple PCR repetitions on the same organs and testing more than one organ could improve T. gondii detection. Genetic characterisation revealed Type III T. gondii alleles in six wild geese and Sarcocystis spp. in 25 samples. Our study demonstrates that Arctic nesting geese are capable of harbouring T. gondii in their tissues and could transport the parasite from their southern overwintering grounds into the Arctic region. We demonstrate how a multi-scale occupancy framework can be used in a domestic animal model to guide resource-limited sample collection and tissue analysis in wildlife. Secondly, we confirm the value of traditional occupancy in optimising T. gondii detection probability in tissue samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey A Elmore
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 1474 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - Kathryn P Huyvaert
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 1474 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Larissa L Bailey
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 1474 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Asma Iqbal
- Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Chunlei Su
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, M409 Walters Life Sciences, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Brent R Dixon
- Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Ray T Alisauskas
- Prairie and Northern Research Centre, Environment Canada, 115 Perimeter Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4, Canada
| | - Alvin A Gajadhar
- Centre for Food-Borne and Animal Parasitology, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 116 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 2R3, Canada
| | - Emily J Jenkins
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
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