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At least 1,207 records · Page 67Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Bot fly myiasis of the cottontail rabbit, Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus in Virginia with some biology of the parasite, Cuterebra buccata.

Twenty four percent of 2,643 cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) collected in Virginia from 1949-1975 showed evidence of Cuterebra parasitism. Occurrence was seasonal with greatest prevalence from July to November. Some Oryctolagus cuniculus, S. palustris and one S. transitionalis also showed Cuterebra myiasis. Juvenile rabbits had higher infection rates (28%) than did adult rabbits 14.5%, P less than .001). Juveniles had greater numbers of larvae per host than adults, with means of 2.14 and 1.62, respectively. Larval development sites were in the genital region of most hosts. Twenty flies reared from wild cottontails were identified as C. buccata. Duration of induced infections in Oryctalagus was 30-33 days. Minimal generation time for C. buccata is concluded to be 11 weeks, allowing up to four generations of flies to occur annually in the southern and one generation to occur in the northern distributional limits of this bot fly. Peromyscus hosts were refractory to C. buccata infections. C. buccata fecundity averaged 1316 eggs. Field observations of adult flies are described.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Survey of Q-fever agglutinins in birds and small rodents in Northern California, 1975-76.

Serum samples from 15 species of rodents and 33 species of birds were tested for agglutinins against Coxiella burnetii by the microagglutination test. Of 759 rodents tested, 21 (3%) were seropositive. Antibody positive rodents included muskrats, Ondatra zebethica, (11%), Rattus spp. (10%), Beechey ground squirrels, Otospermophilus beecheyi, (6%), wood rats, Neotoma fuscipes, (5%), and Peromyscus spp. (2%). Of 583 birds tested, 118 (20%) were seropositive. This included white crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys, gold crowned sparrows, Z. atricapilla, and English sparrows, Passer domesticus, (68% in the composite); coots, Fulica americana, (29%); blackbirds, Euphagus cyanocephalus, (33%); crows, Corvus brachyrhyncos, (29%); robins, Turdus migratorius, (16%); pigeons, Columba fasciata, (10%); and mallard ducks, Anas platyrhynchos, (7%). There was a tendency for the seropositive animals to have been collected in the vicinity of endemically infected livestock.

Agglutinins↗
PubMed1988

Susceptibility of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) to infection with the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi.

Four juvenile gray wolves (Canis lupus) were inoculated with live Borrelia burgdorferi. One received an intravenous inoculum, a second was inoculated subcutaneously, and two more were fed Peromyscus maniculatus sucklings which had earlier been inoculated with B. burgdorferi. The intravenously inoculated wolf developed a generalized lymphadenopathy and a persistent serum antibody titer to the spirochete which peaked at 1:512. Borrelia burgdorferi was visualized in liver sections of this wolf using direct immunofluorescent staining. The subcutaneously inoculated wolf showed a low and transient antibody response which peaked at 1:64, and manifested no clinical or postmortem abnormalities. The wolves which were fed inoculated mice showed no detectable antibody response. They were clinically normal throughout the project, and there were no detectable lesions at necropsy. Two control wolves were inoculated intravenously with formalin killed B. burgdorferi. Serum antibody titers of these controls peaked at 1:64 and 1:32, respectively, and fell to 1:16 by day 48 postinoculation. A survey of serum samples from 78 wild-trapped wolves from Wisconsin and Minnesota revealed that one was positive and another was suspect for B. burgdorferi infection based on presence of antibody to the spirochete. We conclude that the wolf is susceptible to infection by B. burgdorferi and that wolves are being infected in the wild.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Serologic evidence of Yersinia pestis infection in small mammals and bears from a temperate rainforest of north coastal California.

From 1983 to 1985, 463 serum samples from 11 species of mammals in Redwood National Park (RNP) (California, USA) were evaluated for antibodies to Yersinia pestis by the passive hemagglutination method. Yersinia pestis antibodies occurred in serum samples from 25 (36%) of 69 black bears (Ursus americanus), one (50%) of two raccoons (Procyon lotor), five (3%) of 170 dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes), and one (less than 1%) of 118 deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Two hundred seventy-three flea pools, consisting of 14 species of fleas, were collected from small mammals and woodrat nest cups. Viable Y. pestis were not isolated from any of the flea pools. Significant between-year variations in the frequencies of seropositive bear or small mammal sera were not observed. A significantly higher frequency of plague antibodies was observed in bear sera taken during September collections. Frequencies of seropositive bear sera did not vary significantly by sex or age group of bears. Significant differences were not observed in the frequencies of seropositive small mammals by forest habitat type in which they were captured. This is the first report of Y. pestis infection in Redwood National Park, and the first detailed report of Y. pestis activity in a temperate rainforest.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Sporocysts isolated from the southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) produce Sarcocystis montanaensis-like sarcocysts in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

Sporulated oocysts and free sporocysts of a Sarcocystis sp. were isolated from the feces of a southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) collected in Arkansas (USA). Twenty sporocysts measured 11.2 by 8.5 microns, lacked a Stieda body, and had four sporozoites and a granular sporocyst residuum. Sarcocysts similar to those of Sarcocystis montanaensis were present in the tongues of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) inoculated orally with 800 sporocysts 128 days previously. Sarcocysts were thin-walled, divided into compartments by septa, and had electron dense projections (0.14 microns) on the primary cyst wall. Infection was not pathogenic for prairie voles under the conditions of this study. No infections were observed in ICR strain laboratory mice (Mus musculus) or white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) following oral inoculation of 800 sporocysts.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Experimental infection of the eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) with the Lyme disease spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi).

Lyme disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is endemic in the northeast, north-central, and Pacific coastal states of the United States. The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is found throughout the disease-enzootic regions except along the Pacific coast, and may serve as an important reservoir host in some locations. To characterize their potential as a host, 11 adult chipmunks were inoculated with 10(5) spirochetes from strains of B. burgdorferi isolated from Peromyscus leucopus and Ixodes scapularis in a hyperendemic area of Westchester County, New York (USA). All inoculated chipmunks became infected. Spirochetemias were detected by isolating spirochetes in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly media in eight of eight chipmunks, and lasted for 2 to 5 days. Spirochetes were isolated from the ears of all animals, starting at 1 wk and for < or = 4 mo, and from various internal organs at 133 days post-inoculation. Laboratory-reared larval I. scapularis ticks became infected with spirochetes after feeding on two of the inoculated chipmunks.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in wild mammals of Missouri and east central Kansas: biologic and ecologic considerations of transmission.

Sera from 273 wild mammals from Missouri and Kansas (USA), collected between December 1974 and December 1987, were tested for the presence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii using the Sabin-Feldman dye test. Sixty-five (24%) had antibodies at titers of > or = 1:8, including 38 (66%) of 58 carnivores, 14 (15%) of 94 omnivores, 13 (11%) of 117 herbivores, and none of four insectivores. The prevalence of antibodies in mice (Mus musculus and Peromyscus spp.) and rats (Rattus norvegicus and Sigmodon hispidus) was low (3%), while medium sized herbivores such as squirrels (Sciurus spp.), rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus), and muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) had prevalences of about 18%. Red foxes (Vulpes fulva) and mink (Mustela vison) had the highest prevalence of antibodies with frequencies of 90 and 66%, respectively. In 32 attempts to isolate Toxoplasma gondii from wild mammals with positive (> or = 1:4) titers, only six (19%) were successful: a gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), a beaver (Castor canadensis), an opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), a red fox and two mink. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the probability of infection with Toxoplasma gondii, and therefore prevalence of antibodies in wildlife, is greatest in carnivores.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Experimental infection of the red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) with Borrelia burgdorferi.

Red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) were live trapped in northern St. Louis County, Minnesota (USA), in late September and October 1988 and experimentally inoculated with Borrelia burgdorferi. Spirochetes were isolated from most animals 14 and 28 days following inoculation. Thus, red-backed voles exposed to B. burgdorferi were susceptible to infection and could be a reservoir host, along with chipmunks (Tamias striatus) and other small rodents, in areas where white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) populations are low. No evidence of clinical disease was noted in any infected voles.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Hemorrhagic gastritis in free-living rodents in Idaho.

Between February 1992 and March 1994, four species of rodent from the Snake River Birds of Prey Area near Boise, Idaho (USA) were necropsied. Hemorrhagic gastritis was observed in 16 of 131 Townsend's ground squirrels (Spermophilus townsendii), one of 11 Ord's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii) and the one Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus) evaluated. No lesions were observed in 14 white-footed deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Tissue from one Townsend's ground squirrel was negative for Helicobacter sp.-like bacteria.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMed1998

Small mammal survival and trapability in mark-recapture monitoring programs for hantavirus.

Following the 1993 hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) epidemic in the south-western United States, mammalogists and epidemiologists instituted long-term studies to monitor population density and prevalence of infection in rodents which constitute the reservoir for Sin Nombre virus (SNV). In this study, field techniques used in sampling small mammals for SNV infection were evaluated to determine if trapping and handling protocols were having significant effects on future trapability or mortality of animals. We compared rodent mark-recapture control plots, on which all rodents were simply measured, marked, and released on site, with experimental plots on which all animals were anesthetized with methoxyflurane, sampled for blood and saliva, measured, marked, and released. Blood samples were obtained from anesthetized animals on the experimental plots via a retro-orbital sinus puncture using a heparinized capillary tube. Dacron tipped oral swabs were used to collect buccal cells and saliva from the rodent's oral cavity. Field data were collected monthly from August 1994 to August 1996 at two sites in New Mexico (USA). Analyses were based on 3,661 captures of 1,513 individuals representing 21 species from three rodent families (Rodentia: Muridae, Heteromyidae, Sciuridae) and two species of rabbits (Lagomorpha: Leporidae). Overall, for most murid rodents (including five Peromyscus spp., Neotoma albigula, and Onychomys leucogaster) and one rabbit species (Sylvilagus floridanus), the handling/bleeding procedures had no significant effects on recapture rates or mortality. In contrast, several species of heteromyids (Dipodomys ordii and Perognathus flavus), one murid (Reithrodontomys megalotis) and one leporid (S. auduboni) suffered higher mortality rates, and heteromyid kangaroo rats (D. ordii and D. merriami) exhibited lower trapability as a result of the anesthesia and sampling procedures. In view of the overall non-significant influence of the sampling procedures on murid rodents, the anesthesia and blood/saliva sampling protocols described herein appear to be appropriate for hantavirus research, and may serve as a model for environmental monitoring of other zoonotic agents and their reservoirs.

Animal Welfare↗
PubMed1998

Lack of seroreactivity to Ehrlichia chaffeensis among rodent populations.

A retrospective serosurvey for antibodies to Ehrlichia chaffeensis was conducted on eight species of wild rodents (Mus musculus, Oryzomys palustris, Peromyscus leucopus, Rattus norvegicus, Reithrodontomys humulis, Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger, and Sigmodon hispidus) from the southeastern United States. Serum samples (n = 281) collected between 1973 and 1993 were evaluated using an indirect fluorescent antibody test. All samples, screened at a dilution of 1:32, were negative for antibodies to E. chaffeensis. Sixty-three percent of the rodents tested were from areas where E. chaffeensis has been confirmed or is strongly suspected to be endemic. These data suggest limited or no involvement of rodents in the epidemiology of E. chaffeensis.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Population dynamics of a diverse rodent assemblage in mixed grass-shrub habitat, southeastern Colorado, 1995-2000.

We followed seasonal and year-to-year population dynamics for a diverse rodent assemblage in a short-grass prairie ecosystem in southeastern Colorado (USA) for 6 yr. We captured 2,798 individual rodents (range, one to 812 individuals per species) belonging to 19 species. The two most common species, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis), generally had population peaks in winter and nadirs in summer; several other murid species demonstrated autumn peaks and spring nadirs; heteromyids were infrequently captured in winter, and populations generally peaked in summer or autumn. Inter-annual trends indicated an interactive effect between temperature and precipitation. Conditions associated with low rodent populations or population declines were high precipitation during cold periods (autumn and winter) and low precipitation during warm periods (spring and summer). Severity of adverse effects varied by species. Heteromyids, for example, were apparently not negatively affected by the hot, dry spring and summer of 2000. Cross-correlations for the temporal series of relative population abundances between species pairs (which are affected by both seasonal and interannual population dynamics) revealed positive associations among most murids and among most heteromyids, but there were negative associations between murids and heteromyids. These results have important implications for those attempting to model population dynamics of rodent populations for purposes of predicting disease risk.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Update: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome--United States, 1999.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rodentborne viral disease characterized by severe pulmonary illness and a case-fatality ratio of 43%. Sin Nombre virus is the primary hantavirus that causes HPS in the United States, and the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is its predominant carrier. CDC-sponsored studies of rodent populations since 1994 have yielded data that suggest an increased risk for infection for humans in some areas of the southwestern United States during the summer of 1999. This report describes increases in human cases during January-May 1999, current hantavirus prevalence in rodent populations, the need for renewed attention to reduce the risk for hantavirus exposure, and the importance of physician awareness and early detection in the treatment of HPS.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The fleas (Siphonaptera) of South Carolina with an assessment of their vectorial importance.

We document 25 species of fleas from South Carolina including new state records for two species, the ctenophthalmids Epitedia cavernicola and Rhadinopsylla orama. Host and other collection data, by county, are provided, including many new records amassed from 1992-1998 and some older records gleaned from the Clemson University Arthropod Collection. One flea species, the rhopalopsyllid Polygenis gwyni, is especially common and widespread in South Carolina, particularly on the cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) in coastal plain habitats. The largest number of flea species (8) from a single host species was recorded from the cotton mouse, Peromyscus gossypinus. Several flea species of potential medical or veterinary importance were recorded, some of which are potential vectors of pathogens, such as the agents of murine typhus, murine typhus-like disease, sylvatic epidemic typhus, cat scratch disease, and rodent bartonellosis. A host-flea list for South Carolina is included.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Rodent ectoparasites from two locations in northwestern Florida.

From Feb.-Apr. 1999, 19 species of ectoparasitic arthropods (2 sucking lice, 4 fleas, 4 ticks, 2 mesostigmatid mites, 5 chiggers, 2 fur mites) were recovered from 106 rodents belonging to 5 species (cotton mouse, Peromyscus gossypinus, n = 64; cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, n = 23; eastern woodrat, Neotoma floridana, n = 9; golden mouse, Ochrotomys nuttalli, n = 9; eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, n = 1) at Tall Timbers Research Station, Leon County, Florida. During the same period, 13 species of ectoparasites (2 sucking lice, 1 flea, 3 ticks, 3 mesostigmatid mites, 2 chiggers, 2 fur mites) were recovered from 57 rodents belonging to 3 species (S. hispidus, n = 40; black rat, Rattus rattus, n = 16; S. carolinensis, n = 1) from Panama City, Bay County, Florida. Noteworthy ectoparasite records include Ixodes minor from both sites, which extends the known geographical range of this tick, and Stenoponia americana from Tall Timbers that represents the second documented Florida record of this flea. Potential tick vectors (Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis) of zoonotic pathogens (Rickettsia rickettsii and Borrelia burgdorferi) were collected at both sites. On S. hispidus, fleas were more prevalent at Tall Timbers but sucking lice, chiggers, ticks, mesostigmatid and listrophorid mites all were more prevalent at the Panama City site. Arthropods recovered from arboreal nests (n = 3) of O. nuttalli at Tall Timbers included 3 species of ectoparasites (1 tick, 2 laelapid mites).

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Geographical distribution of rodent-associated hantaviruses in Texas.

The purpose of this study was to increase our knowledge of the geographic distribution and natural host range of hantaviruses in Texas, southeastern New Mexico, and Mexico. Blood samples from 3,225 wild rodents, representing 34 species, were tested for hantavirus antibody (IgG), using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hantavirus antibody was found in one or more rodents from each of 13 counties in Texas, Otero County in southeastern New Mexico, and Mexico State (central Mexico). The 133 antibody-positive rodents included seven Peromyscus species (P. attwateri, P. boylii, P. hylocetes, P. leucopus, P. maniculatis, P. melanotis, and P. pectoralis), Sigmodon hispidus, Oryzomys palustris, two Reithrodontomys species (R. fulvescens and R. megalotis), Neotoma albigula, and Perognathus merriami. This study provides further evidence that rodent-associated hantaviruses are geographically widely distributed in Texas. The discovery of antibody in P. hylocetes and P. melanotis is evidence that peromyscine rodents in Mexico are naturally associated with viruses belonging to the genus Hantavirus.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

The efficacy of co-feeding as a means of maintaining Borrelia burgdorferi: a North American model system.

Although research on co-feeding as a means of maintaining tick-borne pathogens has focused chiefly on viruses, recent interest has been directed toward the importance of this phenomenon in maintaining the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. In the current study, an experimental model was developed to determine under what conditions immature co-feeding ticks exchange B. burgdorferi using the principal North American vector (Ixodes scapularis) and reservoir (Peromyscus leucopus) species. Experiments conducted with the density of ticks likely to be encountered in nature (8 nymphs & < 40 larvae) demonstrated that no co-feeding larvae became infected; in contrast, horizontal transmission infected 30-64% of test larvae. Only the highest densities of ticks (40 nymphs & > 200 larvae) produced infected larvae (5%) upon co-feeding of larvae and nymphs. An important role for co-feeding in the ecology of Lyme disease in North America has yet to be established.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Assessment of ecologic and biologic factors leading to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Colorado, U.S.A.

AIM: To understand the ecologic parameters of Sin Nombre virus (SNV; family Bunyaviridae, genus Hantavirus) infections in the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), environmental variables impacting the rodent populations, and the conditions under which SNV is amplified. This may help us understand the antecedents of human risk for developing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) as a consequence of SNV infection. METHOD: Each 6 weeks, we trapped, measured, tagged, bled, and released rodents at three widely spaced sites in Colorado, USA: Fort Lewis (1994-2001), Molina (1994-2001), and Pinyon Canyon Maneuver Site (1995-2001). The ELISA method was used to test rodent blood samples for IgG antibody to SNV antigen. RESULTS: Where rodent species richness was high, the prevalence of infection of deer mice (as determined by the presence of antibody) with SNV was low, and vice versa. There was a higher prevalence of antibody to SNV in male than in female rodents, and seasonal differences were observed in acquisition of SNV between male and female deer mice. Long-lived infected deer mice served as transseasonal, over-winter reservoirs for the virus, providing the mechanism for its survival. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of rodent infection appears to be associated with fluctuations in deer mouse populations and, indirectly, with timing and amount of precipitation and the resulting biologic events (a trophic cascade). Together with information regarding transseasonal maintenance of SNV, seasonal differences in acquisition of SNV between sexes, group foraging, and various other factors may expand our understanding of the risk factors for acquiring HPS. Taken together and applied, we anticipate developing methods for preventing this disease as well as diseases caused by other rodent-borne viruses.

Adolescent↗