Sample records for cricetulus
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Lebedev, V S; Bannikova, A A; Neumann, K; Ushakova, M V; Ivanova, N V; Surov, A V
2018-02-26
The taxonomy of the genus Cricetulus has been controversial. The phylogenetic relationships both within the genus and among Cricetulus lineages and other genera were examined using a set of five nuclear and two mitochondrial genes. The results demonstrate that Cricetulus in its current treatment is a polyphyletic assemblage because the subgenus Urocricetus is phylogenetically unrelated to all other Cricetulus and is a distant sister group to Phodopus. The grey hamster (C. migratorius) proved to be closer to Cricetus and Allocricetulus than to Cricetulus proper, which includes C. barabensis C. sokolovi and C. longicaudatus. Based on these results Urocricetus is elevated to the rank of a full genus and a new genus Nothocricetulus gen.nov. is described for the grey hamster.
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Zhang, Ziqi; Sun, Tong; Kang, Chunlan; Liu, Yang; Liu, Shaoying; Yue, Bisong; Zeng, Tao
2016-01-01
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Cricetulus longicaudatus (Rodentia Cricetidae: Cricetinae) was determined and was deposited in GenBank (GenBank accession no. KM067270). The mitochondrial genome of C. longicaudatus was 16,302 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and one control region, with an identical order to that of other rodents' mitochondrial genomes. The phylogenetic analysis was performed with Bayesian inference based on the concatenated nucleotide sequence of 12 protein-coding genes on the heavy strand. The result showed that these species from Cricetidae and its two subfamilies (Cricetinae and Arvicolines) formed solid monophyletic group, respectively. The Cricetulus had close phylogenetic relationship with Tscherskia among three genera (Cricetulus, Cricetulus and Mesocricetus). Neodon irene and Myodes regulus were embedded in Microtus and Eothenomys, respectively. The unusual phylogenetic positions of Neodon irene and Myodes regulus remain further study in the future.
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The complete mitochondrial genome of Cricetulus kamensis (Rodentia: Cricetidae).
Kang, Chunlan; Yue, Hao; Liu, Mengyao; Huang, Ting; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Xiuyue; Yue, Bisong; Zeng, Tao; Liu, Shaoying
2016-01-01
The Cricetulus kamensis is endemic to China and is popular as pet. In the present study, the complete mitogenome of C. kamensis was first determined. It was 16,270 bp in length and the composition and arrangement of its genes are analogous to most other mammals. The overall base composition of heavy strand is 33.2% A, 26.8% T, 27.2% C and 12.7% G. The sequence is highly G-C poor (∼40%) and A is the most numerous nucleotide followed by T >C >G, which is similar to other mammalian mitochondrial genomes. It is notable that three extra bases "CAT" were inserted in cytb at the 3' end position and no stop codon was found for this coding region. The mitogenome sequence of C. kamensis could contribute to a better solution of its phylogenetic position and phylogenetic relationship within Cricetinae in the future.
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Romanenko, Svetlana A; Volobouev, Vitaly T; Perelman, Polina L; Lebedev, Vladimir S; Serdukova, Natalya A; Trifonov, Vladimir A; Biltueva, Larisa S; Nie, Wenhui; O'Brien, Patricia C M; Bulatova, Nina Sh; Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm A; Yang, Fengtang; Graphodatsky, Alexander S
2007-01-01
The evolutionary success of rodents of the superfamily Muroidea makes this taxon the most interesting for evolution studies, including study at the chromosomal level. Chromosome-specific painting probes from the Chinese hamster and the Syrian (golden) hamster were used to delimit homologous chromosomal segments among 15 hamster species from eight genera: Allocricetulus, Calomyscus, Cricetulus, Cricetus, Mesocricetus, Peromyscus, Phodopus and Tscherskia (Cricetidae, Muroidea, Rodentia). Based on results of chromosome painting and G-banding, comparative maps between 20 rodent species have been established. The integrated maps demonstrate a high level of karyotype conservation among species in the Cricetus group (Cricetus, Cricetulus, Allocricetulus) with Tscherskia as its sister group. Species within the genera Mesocricetus and Phodopus also show a high degree of chromosomal conservation. Our results substantiate many of the conclusions suggested by other data and strengthen the topology of the Muroidea phylogenetic tree through the inclusion of genome-wide chromosome rearrangements. The derivation of the muroids karyotypes from the putative ancestral state involved centric fusions, fissions, addition of heterochromatic arms and a great number of inversions. Our results provide further insights into the karyotype relationships of all species investigated.
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Heger, Sebastian; Du, Miaomiao; Bauer, Kevin; Schäffer, Andreas; Hollert, Henner
2018-08-01
The ecotoxicity of two biofuel candidates (1‑octanol and 2‑butanone) was investigated by an integrative test strategy using three bioassays: the acute immobilisation test with water flea (D. magna), the fish embryo acute toxicity test with zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the in vitro micronucleus assay with Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) V79 cells. The median effective concentration (EC 50 ) values were 14.9±0.66mgL -1 for 1‑octanol, and 2152.1±44.6mgL -1 for 2‑butanone in the D. magna test. Both 1‑octanol and 2‑butanone caused teratogenic and lethal effects on zebrafish embryos, while exposure to 1‑octanol significantly induced these effects at concentrations ≥2.0mgL -1 . These results indicate that 1‑octanol exert much higher ecotoxicity than 2‑butanone to D. magna and zebrafish embryos. Moreover, both 1‑octanol and 2‑butanone did not cause significant genotoxic effects, while their metabolites significantly induced micronuclei in V79 cells. The present study proposed an integrative test approach to evaluate the potential ecotoxicity of biofuels using simple, quick and inexpensive bioassays. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Neumann, Karsten; Michaux, Johan; Lebedev, Vladimir; Yigit, Nuri; Colak, Ercument; Ivanova, Natalia; Poltoraus, Andrey; Surov, Alexei; Markov, Georgi; Maak, Steffen; Neumann, Sabine; Gattermann, Rolf
2006-04-01
Despite some popularity of hamsters as pets and laboratory animals there is no reliable phylogeny of the subfamily Cricetinae available so far. Contradicting views exist not only about the actual number of species but also concerning the validity of several genera. We used partial DNA sequences of two mitochondrial (cytochrome b, 12S rRNA) and one partial nuclear gene (von Willebrand Factor exon 28) to provide a first gene tree of the Cricetinae based on 15 taxa comprising six genera. According to our data, Palaearctic hamsters fall into three distinct phylogenetic groups: Phodopus, Mesocricetus, and Cricetus-related species which evolved during the late Miocene about 7-12MY ago. Surprisingly, the genus Phodopus, which was previously thought to have appeared during the Pleistocene, forms the oldest clade. The largest number of extant hamster genera is found in a group of Cricetus-related hamsters. The genus Cricetulus itself proved to be not truly monophyletic with Cricetulus migratorius appearing more closely related to Tscherskia, Cricetus, and Allocricetulus. We propose to place the species within a new monotypic genus. Molecular clock calculations are not always in line with the dating of fossil records. DNA based divergence time estimates as well as taxonomic relationships demand a reevaluation of morphological characters previously used to identify fossils and extant hamsters.
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Wen, Jing; Tan, Song; Wang, Dhua; Zhao, Zhijun
2018-05-31
In the present study, we examined metabolic, morphological, and neurochemical changes in male striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) in response to variations in food availability. Males with low and high levels of metabolic rate, MR (L-MR and H-MR), defined by their activity metabolic rates, were compared. In Experiment 1, 36-hrs food deprivation was found to significantly decrease MR levels, body fat content, mass of small and large intestines, and leptin gene expression in the white adipose tissues in male hamsters. Interestingly, L-MR males displayed decreased MR during both the day and night phases of circadian cycles, whereas H-MR males only showed a decrease in MR during the day (resting phase). These data indicate that individual differences in physical activity were associated with animal's different metabolic responses to food deprivation. In Experiment 2, both groups of males went through a 4-weeks fasting and re-feeding (re) paradigm. H-re males showed a persistent high level of MR, with a decreased body fat content and a trending decrease in leptin mRNA expression, compared to L-re males. Together, our data indicate that male striped hamsters with different levels of physical activity display altered, adaptive changes in response to variations in food availability. The neurochemical involvement of such adaptive changes needs to be further studied. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Chigger Mite (Acari: Trombiculidae) Survey of Rodents in Shandong Province, Northern China
Huang, Xiao-Dan; Cheng, Peng; Zhao, Yu-Qiang; Li, Wen-Juan; Zhao, Jiu-Xu; Liu, Hong-Mei; Kou, Jing-Xuan; Gong, Mao-Qing
2017-01-01
Chigger mites are parasites of rodents and other vertebrates, invertebrates, and other arthropods, and are the only vectors of scrub typhus, in addition to other zoonoses. Therefore, investigating their distribution, diversity, and seasonal abundance is important for public health. Rodent surveillance was conducted at 6 districts in Shandong Province, northern China (114–112°E, 34–38°N), from January to December 2011. Overall, 225/286 (78.7%) rodents captured were infested with chigger mites. A total of 451 chigger mites were identified as belonging to 5 most commonly collected species and 3 genera in 1 family. Leptotrombidium scutellare and Leptotrombidium intermedia were the most commonly collected chigger mites. L. scutellare (66.2%, 36.7%, and 49.0%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, and Microtus fortis, respectively, whereas L. intermedia (61.5% and 63.2%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Cricetulus triton and Mus musculus, respectively. This study demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of chigger mites that varied seasonally in Shandong Province, China. PMID:29103271
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Chigger Mite (Acari: Trombiculidae) Survey of Rodents in Shandong Province, Northern China.
Huang, Xiao-Dan; Cheng, Peng; Zhao, Yu-Qiang; Li, Wen-Juan; Zhao, Jiu-Xu; Liu, Hong-Mei; Kou, Jing-Xuan; Gong, Mao-Qing
2017-10-01
Chigger mites are parasites of rodents and other vertebrates, invertebrates, and other arthropods, and are the only vectors of scrub typhus, in addition to other zoonoses. Therefore, investigating their distribution, diversity, and seasonal abundance is important for public health. Rodent surveillance was conducted at 6 districts in Shandong Province, northern China (114-112°E, 34-38°N), from January to December 2011. Overall, 225/286 (78.7%) rodents captured were infested with chigger mites. A total of 451 chigger mites were identified as belonging to 5 most commonly collected species and 3 genera in 1 family. Leptotrombidium scutellare and Leptotrombidium intermedia were the most commonly collected chigger mites. L. scutellare (66.2%, 36.7%, and 49.0%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, and Microtus fortis, respectively, whereas L. intermedia (61.5% and 63.2%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Cricetulus triton and Mus musculus, respectively. This study demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of chigger mites that varied seasonally in Shandong Province, China.
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Phylogeography of Trichuris populations isolated from different Cricetidae rodents.
Callejón, Rocío; De Rojas, Manuel; Feliú, Carlos; Balao, Francisco; Marrugal, Angela; Henttonen, Heikki; Guevara, Diego; Cutillas, Cristina
2012-11-01
The phylogeography of Trichuris populations (Nematoda) collected from Cricetidae rodents (Muroidea) from different geographical regions was studied. Ribosomal DNA (Internal Transcribed Spacers 1 and 2, and mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome c- oxidase subunit 1 partial gene) have been used as molecular markers. The nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) 1 and 2 showed 2 clear-cut geographical and genetic lineages: one of the Nearctic region (Oregon), although the second was widespread throughout the Palaearctic region and appeared as a star-like structure in the minimum spanning network. The mitochondrial results revealed that T. arvicolae populations from the Palaearctic region were separated into 3 clear-cut geographical and genetic lineages: populations from Northern Europe, populations from Southern (Spain) and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Belarus, Kazahstan), and populations from Italy and France (Eastern Pyrénean Mountains). Phylogenetic analysis obtained on the basis of ITS1-5·8S-ITS2 rDNA sequences did not show a differential geographical structure; however, these markers suggest a new Trichuris species parasitizing Chionomys roberti and Cricetulus barabensis. The mitochondrial results revealed that Trichuris populations from arvicolinae rodents show signals of a post-glacial northward population expansion starting from the Pyrenees and Italy. Apparently, the Pyrenees and the Alps were not barriers to the dispersal of Trichuris populations.
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Yamada, Kazuhiko; Kamimura, Eikichi; Kondo, Mariko; Tsuchiya, Kimiyuki; Nishida-Umehara, Chizuko; Matsuda, Yoichi
2006-02-01
We molecularly cloned new families of site-specific repetitive DNA sequences from BglII- and EcoRI-digested genomic DNA of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus, Cricetrinae, Rodentia) and characterized them by chromosome in situ hybridization and filter hybridization. They were classified into six different types of repetitive DNA sequence families according to chromosomal distribution and genome organization. The hybridization patterns of the sequences were consistent with the distribution of C-positive bands and/or Hoechst-stained heterochromatin. The centromeric major satellite DNA and sex chromosome-specific and telomeric region-specific repetitive sequences were conserved in the same genus (Mesocricetus) but divergent in different genera. The chromosome-2-specific sequence was conserved in two genera, Mesocricetus and Cricetulus, and a low copy number of repetitive sequences on the heterochromatic chromosome arms were conserved in the subfamily Cricetinae but not in the subfamily Calomyscinae. By contrast, the other type of repetitive sequences on the heterochromatic chromosome arms, which had sequence similarities to a LINE sequence of rodents, was conserved through the three subfamilies, Cricetinae, Calomyscinae and Murinae. The nucleotide divergence of the repetitive sequences of heterochromatin was well correlated with the phylogenetic relationships of the Cricetinae species, and each sequence has been independently amplified and diverged in the same genome.
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Park, Jae-Hwan; Jung, Bong-Kwang; Guk, Sang-Mee; Kim, Jae-Lip; Shin, Eun-Hee; Klein, Terry A.; Kim, Heung-Chul; Chong, Sung-Tae; Baek, Luck Ju; Song, Jin-Won
2009-01-01
A total of 1,498 small mammals (rodents and insectivores), including Apodemus agrarius (n = 1,366), Crocidura lasiura (54), Mus musculus (32), Micronytus fortis (28), Eothenomys regulus (9), Micronys minutes (6), and Cricetulus triton (3), were live-trapped in Gyeonggi-do (Province) (Paju-si, Pocheon-gun, and Yeoncheon-gun) near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) from December 2004 to September 2005. A. agrarius was found to be infected with 3 species of echinostomes (Echinostoma hortense, Echinostoma cinetorchis, and Euparyphium murinum), while C. lasiura was infected with 1 species (Echinochasmus japonicas) of echinostome. Other mammals were free from echinostome infections. Total 16 E. hortense were detected in 7 (0.5%) mice, 9 E. cinetorchis from 5 (0.4%), and 3 E. murinum from 2 (0.1%) out of 1.366 A. agrarius examined. E. japonicus was found only in 1 (1.9%; total 3 specimens) C. lasiura. These results demonstrate that A. agrarius and C. lasiura, inhabiting near the DMZ of Gyeonggi-do serve as the natural definitive hosts for several species of echinostomes, although their infection rates are low. This is the first record of natural infections of A. agrarius with E. cinetorchis and C. lasiura with E. japonicus in the Republic of Korea. PMID:19724709
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MOHEBALI, Mehdi; ZAREI, Zabiholah; Khanaliha, Khadijeh; KIA, Eshrat Beigom; MOTAVALLI-HAGHI, Afsaneh; DAVOODI, Jaber; REZAEIAN, Tahereh; TARIGHI, Fathemeh; REZAEIAN, Mostafa
2017-01-01
Background: Majority of parasitic infections in rodents have zoonotic importance. This study aimed to determine the frequency and intensity of intestinal protozoa infections of rodents including Meriones persicus, Mus musculus and, Cricetulus migratorius. Methods: This survey was conducted in Meshkin Shahr district in northwestern Iran from Mar. to Dec. of 2014. Intestinal samples of 204 rodents including M. persicus (n=117), M. musculus (n=63) and C. migratorius (n=24) were parasitologically examined. Formalin-ether concentration method was done for all of rodents stool samples and observed with light microscope. All of suspected cases were stained with trichorome staining Method. Cultivation in dichromate potassium 2.5% was carried out for all of coccidian positive samples. Acid fast and aniline blue staining methods were used for detecting of coccidian oocysts and intestinal microsporidial spores, respectively. Results: About 121(59.3%) of the caught rodents were generally infected with intestinal protozoa. Entamoeba muris 14(6.9%), Trichomonas muris 55(27.0%), Chilomastix betencourtti 17 (8.3%), Giardia muris 19(9.3%), Eimeria spp. 46(22.5%), Isospora spp. 4(2%) and Cryptosporidium spp. 1(0.5%) were found from the collected rodents. Microsporidian spores were identified in 63 (31%) out of the 204 collected rodents using aniline blue staining method. Conclusion: Since some of the infections are zoonotic importance thus, control of rodents can be decreased new cases of the parasitic zoonoses in humans. PMID:28979348
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Zhang, Ji-Ying; Zhao, Xiao-Ya; Wang, Gui-Ying; Wang, Chun-Ming; Zhao, Zhi-Jun
2016-05-01
It has been suggested that the up-regulation of uncoupling proteins (UCPs) decreases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, in which case there should be a negative relationship between UCPs expression and ROS levels. In this study, the effects of temperature and food restriction on ROS levels and metabolic rate, UCP1 mRNA expression and antioxidant levels were examined in the brown adipose tissue (BAT) of the striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis). The metabolic rate and food intake of hamsters which had been restricted to 80% of ad libitum food intake, and acclimated to a warm temperature (30°C), decreased significantly compared to a control group. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels were 42.9% lower in food restricted hamsters than in the control. Malonadialdehyde (MDA) levels of hamsters acclimated to 30°C that were fed ad libitum were significantly higher than those of the control group, but 60.1% lower than hamsters that had been acclimated to the same temperature but subject to food restriction. There were significantly positive correlations between H2O2 and, MDA levels, catalase activity, and total antioxidant capacity. Cytochrome c oxidase activity and UCP1 mRNA expression significantly decreased in food restricted hamsters compared to the control. These results suggest that warmer temperatures increase oxidative stress in BAT by causing the down-regulation of UCP1 expression and decreased antioxidant activity, but food restriction may attenuate the effects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Rodent-borne diseases and their public health importance in Iran.
Rabiee, Mohammad Hasan; Mahmoudi, Ahmad; Siahsarvie, Roohollah; Kryštufek, Boris; Mostafavi, Ehsan
2018-04-01
Rodents are reservoirs and hosts for several zoonotic diseases such as plague, leptospirosis, and leishmaniasis. Rapid development of industry and agriculture, as well as climate change throughout the globe, has led to change or increase in occurrence of rodent-borne diseases. Considering the distribution of rodents throughout Iran, the aim of this review is to assess the risk of rodent-borne diseases in Iran. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scientific Information Database (SID), and Magiran databases up to September 2016 to obtain articles reporting occurrence of rodent-borne diseases in Iran and extract information from them. Out of 70 known rodent-borne diseases, 34 were reported in Iran: 17 (50%) parasitic diseases, 13 (38%) bacterial diseases, and 4 (12%) viral diseases. Twenty-one out of 34 diseases were reported from both humans and rodents. Among the diseases reported in the rodents of Iran, plague, leishmaniasis, and hymenolepiasis were the most frequent. The most infected rodents were Rattus norvegicus (16 diseases), Mus musculus (14 diseases), Rattus rattus (13 diseases), Meriones persicus (7 diseases), Apodemus spp. (5 diseases), Tatera indica (4 diseases), Meriones libycus (3 diseases), Rhombomys opimus (3 diseases), Cricetulus migratorius (3 diseases), and Nesokia indica (2 diseases). The results of this review indicate the importance of rodent-borne diseases in Iran. Considering notable diversity of rodents and their extensive distribution throughout the country, it is crucial to pay more attention to their role in spreading infectious diseases for better control of the diseases.
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Zhang, Zhiqiang; Zhao, Zhijun
2015-05-01
Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced swelling is widely used to investigate cell-mediated and innate immunity across different vertebrate taxa. However, its physiological mechanism is still an open question due to the complexity of the involved immune components. In the present study, we measured the synchronous variations of PHA response, the proportion of different subtypes of leukocytes, as well as serum bactericidal capacity in circulation blood at 6, 12 and 24 h after PHA versus PBS injection in striped hamster, Cricetulus barabensis. First, the results showed that PHA responses reached a peak at 6 h postinjection, then sharply declined at 12 h and 24 h postinjection. Serum bactericidal capacity was higher at 6 h and 12 h than at 24 h. The proportion of different subtypes of leukocytes, as well as the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes did not display significant changes across different time points. Second, PHA response was positively correlated with the proportion of neutrophils and serum bactericidal capacity. The proportion of monocytes was negatively correlated with that of eosinophils and neutrophils. The proportion of basophils was negatively correlated with that of lymphocytes. Our results indicate that earlier enhanced PHA response is important for the striped hamster to cope with changing environmental conditions due to its small body mass, and the increased components of innate immunity in circulation blood may contribute to the enhancement of PHA swelling response. © 2015 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.
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Lavender, Danielle; Taraskin, Sergei N; Mason, Matthew J
2011-12-01
The middle ears of seven species of rodents, including four hamster species, were examined under light microscopy and through micro-CT imaging. Hamsters were found to possess a spectrum of ossicular morphologies ranging from something approaching "freely mobile" (Mesocricetus) to something nearer the "microtype" (Cricetulus), although no hamster has an orbicular apophysis of the malleus. Rats, mice and Calomyscus were found to have typically microtype ossicles. To explore the functional effects of these morphological differences, CT scan data were used to calculate the magnitudes of the moments of inertia and positions of the centres of mass and principal rotational axes for the malleus-incus complexes. Microtype species were found to have much greater ossicular inertias, relative to size, about the "anatomical axis" extending between anterior process of the malleus and short process of the incus; ossicular centres of mass were displaced further from this axis. Calculated inertial values were then put into an existing model of middle ear function (Hemilä et al., 1995), in order to see whether the more accurate data would improve predictions of upper hearing limits. For the rat and mouse they did, but this was not so for the hamster Mesocricetus. This might indicate that the inner rather than the middle ear limits hearing in this species, or might simply reflect other shortcomings of the model. Functional differences appear to exist even among rodent ears of the same general type, but the adaptive significance of these differences remains enigmatic. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Rodent-borne diseases and their public health importance in Iran
Mahmoudi, Ahmad; Siahsarvie, Roohollah; Kryštufek, Boris; Mostafavi, Ehsan
2018-01-01
Background Rodents are reservoirs and hosts for several zoonotic diseases such as plague, leptospirosis, and leishmaniasis. Rapid development of industry and agriculture, as well as climate change throughout the globe, has led to change or increase in occurrence of rodent-borne diseases. Considering the distribution of rodents throughout Iran, the aim of this review is to assess the risk of rodent-borne diseases in Iran. Methodology/Principal finding We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scientific Information Database (SID), and Magiran databases up to September 2016 to obtain articles reporting occurrence of rodent-borne diseases in Iran and extract information from them. Out of 70 known rodent-borne diseases, 34 were reported in Iran: 17 (50%) parasitic diseases, 13 (38%) bacterial diseases, and 4 (12%) viral diseases. Twenty-one out of 34 diseases were reported from both humans and rodents. Among the diseases reported in the rodents of Iran, plague, leishmaniasis, and hymenolepiasis were the most frequent. The most infected rodents were Rattus norvegicus (16 diseases), Mus musculus (14 diseases), Rattus rattus (13 diseases), Meriones persicus (7 diseases), Apodemus spp. (5 diseases), Tatera indica (4 diseases), Meriones libycus (3 diseases), Rhombomys opimus (3 diseases), Cricetulus migratorius (3 diseases), and Nesokia indica (2 diseases). Conclusions/Significance The results of this review indicate the importance of rodent-borne diseases in Iran. Considering notable diversity of rodents and their extensive distribution throughout the country, it is crucial to pay more attention to their role in spreading infectious diseases for better control of the diseases. PMID:29672510
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Esfandiari, Behzad; Pourshafie, Mohammad Reza; Gouya, Mohammad Mehdi; Khaki, Pejvak; Mostafavi, Ehsan; Darvish, Jamshid; Hanifi, Hamed
2017-01-01
Rodents are mammals that comprise more than 2000 species and approximately 30 families. There are many morphological and ecological differences among them as variations in their shape, size, weight and habitat. In addition to significant economic losses, rodents have a major role in the dissemination of infectious diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites or other micro-organisms. Rodents are important reservoirs of diseases which have been observed in many cities of Iran provinces especially along Caspian Sea border to Alborz Mountain. The aim of this study is to assess the geographical distribution of rodents in three provinces of northern part of Iran as reservoir of potential endemic infectious diseases. Rodents in 10 major parts of each of the three provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan and Golestan, northern Iran were collected and a total of 404 rodents were trapped alive. They were determined by the key characteristics such as gender, genus, species, different locations and topological situation. Statistical analysis was performed to characterize the study sample and to correlate all variables and parameters. The distribution frequencies of three, five and six genera of rodents were identified in Mazandaran, Gilan and Golestan provinces respectively. The overall distribution frequency of eight genera of rodents in the three provinces were identified as Rattus (R.) norvegicus (67.3%), R. rattus (13.6%), Apodemus sylvaticus (13.9%), Arvicola (1%), Mus musculus (0.3%), Nesokia indica (2.5%), Cricetulus migrates (0.7%) and Rhombomys opimus (0.7%). The results of this study determined the geographic distribution of the rodents in the three northern provinces of Iran. It is indicated the association of various distribution and diversity of rodents with provincial location. The overall distribution frequency of eight genera of rodents was recognized in the above three provinces geographical locations. This study confirms epidemiological distribution of various rodents as potent reservoirs for infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia, leishmaniasis, etc. in the three provinces. PMID:28626537