Original scientific paper

The role of myomorphous mammals as reservoirs of leptospira in the pedunculate oak forests of Croatia.

Zoran Milas ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Nenad Turk ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Vilim Starešina ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Josip Margaletić ; Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Alen Slavica ; Chair for Game Biology, Pathology and Breeding, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Dragica Živković ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Zvonko Modrić ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

In the year 2000, three hundred and eighty-one animals werw caught in 11 locations in the pedunculate oak forests extending across the wider region of the Sava River valley, an area known as an old natural focus of leptospires. Two hundred and twenty-seven animals were investigated for leptospiral carriership, 381 were tested for the existence of specific antibodies to leptospira. Through cultivation of kidney sections in the Korthof’s nutrient medium, 17 strains of leptospira were isolated from 3 species of myomorphous mammals, of which in the house mouse (Mus musculus) the serovar sejroe in 10 animals (71.4%), in the black-striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) the serovar pomona in 4 animals (5.4%) and in the yellownecked field mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) the serovars australis, pomona and one unindentified isolate in 3 animals (4.5%), representing a total of 7.5% of animals. Using the microscopic agglutination test in 47 animals (12.3%), antibodies to leptospira were found for 8 serovars, for the most part the serovar pomona, then (in decreasing order) for the serovars saxkoebing australis, and hardjo. The percentage of serologically positive animals ranged from 34.4% in the house mouse, 13,9% in the black-striped field mouse, 10.8% in the yellow-necked fieldmouse, 9.4% in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), to 6.5% in the long-tailed field mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus). The research results suggest that pedunculate oak forests can be considered as an integral part of a vast natural focus of leptospirosis. The specificity and role of this biotope in maintaining leptospira should be investigated to a greater extent in the future.

Keywords

leptospira; myomorphous mammals; natural foci

Hrčak ID:

79873

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/79873

Publication date:

21.6.2002.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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