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Query: UMLS:C0027960 (mole)
 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Fleas and mites obtained from 115 mole nests in Central Slovakia from an area where Q fever and rickettsiosis due to rickettsie of the SF occur, from the border of this area and apart from it, were tested for infestation with rickettsiae by the method of isolation of rickettsiae on chick embryo yolk sacs, by the method of detection of rickettsiae on smears from the arthropods using immunofluorescence, by the method of exposure of albino mice and Apodemus flavicollis to mole nests and by the method of inoculation of suspension from the arthropods to albino mice. In the latter two methods, infestation of the arthropods was assessed according to the formation of antibodies in the mice. It has been found that fleas and mites in all three areas under test are infected with C. burneti and with rickettsia of the SF group. C. burneti was currently detected in the focus of rickettsioses and in the localities situated in its borders while only one case was observed apart from the focus. Rickettsiae of the SF group were found in fleas and mites in all areas tested showing no greater percentual differences. The method of detection of rickettsia in smears from the arthropods using the immunofluorescence technique and antibody response in mice inoculated with infected arthropods was found to be the most effective in these studies. On the basis of the obtained results the authors believe that mites and fleas living in mole nests participate in the circulation of both species of rickettsiae in nature in the transfer of rickettsiae among small mammals. The question whether these arthropods are a reservoir, a biological or a mechanical vector, still remains open.
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PMID:Study of rickettsioses in Slovakia. II. Infestation of fleas and mites in mole nests in some localities in Central Slovakia with C. burneti and Rickettsiae belonging to the spotted fever (SF) group. 110 97

The distribution of parasites among hosts is often characterised by a high degree of heterogeneity with a small number of hosts harbouring the majority of parasites. Such patterns of aggregation have been linked to variation in host exposure and susceptibility as well as parasite traits and environmental factors. Host exposure and susceptibility may differ with sexes, reproductive effort and group size. Furthermore, environmental factors may affect both the host and parasite directly and contribute to temporal heterogeneities in parasite loads. We investigated the contributions of host and parasite traits as well as season on parasite loads in highveld mole-rats (Cryptomys hottentotus pretoriae). This cooperative breeder exhibits a reproductive division of labour and animals live in colonies of varying sizes that procreate seasonally. Mole-rats were parasitised by lice, mites, cestodes and nematodes with mites (Androlaelaps sp.) and cestodes (Mathevotaenia sp.) being the dominant ecto- and endoparasites, respectively. Sex and reproductive status contributed little to the observed parasite prevalence and abundances possibly as a result of the shared burrow system. Clear seasonal patterns of parasite prevalence and abundance emerged with peaks in summer for mites and in winter for cestodes. Group size correlated negatively with mite abundance while it had no effect on cestode burdens and group membership affected infestation with both parasites. We propose that the mode of transmission as well as social factors constrain parasite propagation generating parasite patterns deviating from those commonly predicted.
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PMID:The role of host traits, season and group size on parasite burdens in a cooperative mammal. 2206 81

Restricted mobility and spatial isolation of social units in gregarious subterranean mammals ensure good defence mechanisms against parasites, which in turn allows for a reduction of immunity components. In contrast, a parasite invasion may cause an increased adaptive immune response. Therefore, it can be expected that spatial and temporal distribution of parasites within a population will correlate with the local variability in the host's immunocompetence. To test this hypothesis, the intra-population variability of a whipworm infestation and the humoral immune response to non-replicated antigens in mole voles (Ellobius talpinus Pall.), social subterranean rodents, was estimated. Whipworm prevalence in mole voles increased from spring to autumn, and this tendency was more pronounced in settlements living in natural meadows compared to settlements in man-made meadows. However, humoral immune response was lowest in animals from natural meadows trapped in autumn. Since whipworm infestation does not directly affect the immunity of mole voles, the reciprocal tendencies in seasonal dynamics and spatial distribution of whipworm abundance and host immunocompetence may be explained by local deterioration of habitat conditions, which increases the probability of an infestation.
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PMID:Variability of whipworm infection and humoral immune response in a wild population of mole voles (Ellobius talpinus Pall.). 2707 61