Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central Europe
Rodents and insectivores are significant reservoirs of many zoonotic pathogens, contributing to the transmission of diseases affecting human and animal health. This study investigated the prevalence and diversity of vector-borne pathogens in small mammals within the High Tatras region of Slovakia, a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X24000712 |
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| author | Bronislava Víchová Michal Stanko Martina Miterpáková Zuzana Hurníková Yaroslav Syrota Patrícia Schmer-Jakšová Petronela Komorová Lucia Vargová Veronika Blažeková Dana Zubriková Klaudia Mária Švirlochová Gabriela Chovancová |
| author_facet | Bronislava Víchová Michal Stanko Martina Miterpáková Zuzana Hurníková Yaroslav Syrota Patrícia Schmer-Jakšová Petronela Komorová Lucia Vargová Veronika Blažeková Dana Zubriková Klaudia Mária Švirlochová Gabriela Chovancová |
| author_sort | Bronislava Víchová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rodents and insectivores are significant reservoirs of many zoonotic pathogens, contributing to the transmission of diseases affecting human and animal health. This study investigated the prevalence and diversity of vector-borne pathogens in small mammals within the High Tatras region of Slovakia, an area with substantial recreational activity and protected zones. A total of 156 small mammals, comprising ten species, were screened for pathogens such as Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia spp. The prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in the studied animals reached 74.35%, with Bartonella spp. being the most common, identified in 57.7% of the animals, particularly in Apodemus flavicollis and Clethrionomys glareolus. Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) was detected in 11.5% of the rodents, with Borrelia afzelii identified as the predominant species. Babesia microti was found in A. flavicollis and Mus musculus, with a total prevalence of 3.2%. The lowest was the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum reaching 1.9%. This study provides evidence of the significant role of rodents as reservoirs of vector-borne pathogens in protected areas of the High Tatras region and Tatra National Park. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9eef9ed0e4ca4447a17dd4c915d40fa9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2667-114X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-9eef9ed0e4ca4447a17dd4c915d40fa92025-08-20T03:21:52ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases2667-114X2025-01-01710024010.1016/j.crpvbd.2024.100240Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central EuropeBronislava Víchová0Michal Stanko1Martina Miterpáková2Zuzana Hurníková3Yaroslav Syrota4Patrícia Schmer-Jakšová5Petronela Komorová6Lucia Vargová7Veronika Blažeková8Dana Zubriková9Klaudia Mária Švirlochová10Gabriela Chovancová11Institute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia; Corresponding author.Institute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia; I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, B. Khmelnytskogo 15, 01054, Kyiv, UkraineInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia; University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 68/73, 041 81, Košice, SlovakiaResearch Station and Museum of the Tatra National Park, Tatranská Lomnica, 059 60, SlovakiaRodents and insectivores are significant reservoirs of many zoonotic pathogens, contributing to the transmission of diseases affecting human and animal health. This study investigated the prevalence and diversity of vector-borne pathogens in small mammals within the High Tatras region of Slovakia, an area with substantial recreational activity and protected zones. A total of 156 small mammals, comprising ten species, were screened for pathogens such as Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia spp. The prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in the studied animals reached 74.35%, with Bartonella spp. being the most common, identified in 57.7% of the animals, particularly in Apodemus flavicollis and Clethrionomys glareolus. Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) was detected in 11.5% of the rodents, with Borrelia afzelii identified as the predominant species. Babesia microti was found in A. flavicollis and Mus musculus, with a total prevalence of 3.2%. The lowest was the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum reaching 1.9%. This study provides evidence of the significant role of rodents as reservoirs of vector-borne pathogens in protected areas of the High Tatras region and Tatra National Park.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X24000712Tatra National ParkSmall mammalsTicksTransmissionBorreliaBartonella |
| spellingShingle | Bronislava Víchová Michal Stanko Martina Miterpáková Zuzana Hurníková Yaroslav Syrota Patrícia Schmer-Jakšová Petronela Komorová Lucia Vargová Veronika Blažeková Dana Zubriková Klaudia Mária Švirlochová Gabriela Chovancová Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central Europe Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases Tatra National Park Small mammals Ticks Transmission Borrelia Bartonella |
| title | Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central Europe |
| title_full | Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central Europe |
| title_fullStr | Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central Europe |
| title_short | Small mammals as hosts of vector-borne pathogens in the High Tatra Mountains region in Slovakia, Central Europe |
| title_sort | small mammals as hosts of vector borne pathogens in the high tatra mountains region in slovakia central europe |
| topic | Tatra National Park Small mammals Ticks Transmission Borrelia Bartonella |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X24000712 |
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