First Record of Hepatozoon spp. in Alpine Wild Rodents: Implications and Perspectives for Transmission Dynamics across the Food Web.

ABSTRACT: Among the Apicomplexa parasites, Hepatozoon spp. have been mainly studied in domestic animals and peri-urban areas. The epidemiology of Hepatozoon spp. is poorly investigated in natural systems and wild hosts because of their scarce veterinary and economic relevance. For most habitats, the occurrence of these parasites is unknown, despite their high ecosystemic role. To fill this gap for alpine small mammals, we applied molecular PCR-based methods and sequencing to determine the Hepatozoon spp. in 830 ear samples from 11 small mammal species (i.e., Apodemus, Myodes, Chionomys, Microtus, Crocidura and Sorex genera) live-trapped during a cross-sectional study along an altitudinal gradient in the North-Eastern Italian Alps. We det

SUBMITTER: Ferrari G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9027474 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature