@article{MaazKrueckenBluemkeetal.2018,
  author    = {Maaz, Denny and Kr{\"u}cken, Juergen and Bl{\"u}mke, Julia and Richter, Dania and McKay-Demeler, Janina and Matuschka, Franz-Rainer and Hartmann, Susanne and von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg},
  title     = {Factors associated with diversity, quantity and zoonotic potential of ectoparasites on urban mice and voles},
  series = {PLoS one},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {PLoS one},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {PLoS},
  address   = {San Fransisco},
  issn      = {1932-6203},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0199385},
  pages     = {32},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Wild rodents are important hosts for tick larvae but co-infestations with other mites and insects are largely neglected. Small rodents were trapped at four study sites in Berlin, Germany, to quantify their ectoparasite diversity. Host-specific, spatial and temporal occurrence of ectoparasites was determined to assess their influence on direct and indirect zoonotic risk due to mice and voles in an urban agglomeration. Rodent-associated arthropods were diverse, including 63 species observed on six host species with an overall prevalence of 99\%. The tick Ixodes ricinus was the most prevalent species, found on 56\% of the rodents. The trapping location clearly affected the presence of different rodent species and, therefore, the occurrence of particular host-specific parasites. In Berlin, fewer temporary and periodic parasite species as well as non-parasitic species (fleas, chiggers and nidicolous Gamasina) were detected than reported from rural areas. In addition, abundance of parasites with low host-specificity (ticks, fleas and chiggers) apparently decreased with increasing landscape fragmentation associated with a gradient of urbanisation. In contrast, stationary ectoparasites, closely adapted to the rodent host, such as the fur mites Myobiidae and Listrophoridae, were most abundant at the two urban sites. A direct zoonotic risk of infection for people may only be posed by Nosopsyllus fasciatus fleas, which were prevalent even in the city centre. More importantly, peridomestic rodents clearly supported the life cycle of ticks in the city as hosts for their subadult stages. In addition to trapping location, season, host species, body condition and host sex, infestation with fleas, gamasid Laelapidae mites and prostigmatic Myobiidae mites were associated with significantly altered abundance of I. ricinus larvae on mice and voles. Whether this is caused by predation, grooming behaviour or interaction with the host immune system is unclear. The present study constitutes a basis to identify interactions and vector function of rodent-associated arthropods and their potential impact on zoonotic diseases.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MaazRauschRichteretal.2016,
  author    = {Maaz, Denny and Rausch, Sebastian and Richter, Dania and Kruecken, Juergen and Kuehl, Anja A. and Demeler, Janina and Bluemke, Julia and Matuschka, Franz-Rainer and von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg and Hartmann, Susanne},
  title     = {Susceptibility to Ticks and Lyme Disease Spirochetes Is Not Affected in Mice Coinfected with Nematodes},
  series = {Infection and immunity},
  volume    = {84},
  journal   = {Infection and immunity},
  publisher = {American Society for Microbiology},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0019-9567},
  doi       = {10.1128/IAI.01309-15},
  pages     = {1274 -- 1286},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Small rodents serve as reservoir hosts for tick-borne pathogens, such as the spirochetes causing Lyme disease. Whether natural coinfections with other macroparasites alter the success of tick feeding, antitick immunity, and the host's reservoir competence for tick-borne pathogens remains to be determined. In a parasitological survey of wild mice in Berlin, Germany, approximately 40\% of Ixodes ricinus-infested animals simultaneously harbored a nematode of the genus Heligmosomoides. We therefore aimed to analyze the immunological impact of the nematode/tick coinfection as well as its effect on the tick-borne pathogen Borrelia afzelii. Hosts experimentally coinfected with Heligmosomoides polygyrus and larval/nymphal I. ricinus ticks developed substantially stronger systemic type 2 T helper cell (Th2) responses, on the basis of the levels of GATA-3 and interleukin-13 expression, than mice infected with a single pathogen. During repeated larval infestations, however, anti-tick Th2 reactivity and an observed partial immunity to tick feeding were unaffected by concurrent nematode infections. Importantly, the strong systemic Th2 immune response in coinfected mice did not affect susceptibility to tick-borne B. afzelii. An observed trend for decreased local and systemic Th1 reactivity against B. afzelii in coinfected mice did not result in a higher spirochete burden, nor did it facilitate bacterial dissemination or induce signs of immunopathology. Hence, this study indicates that strong systemic Th2 responses in nematode/tick-coinfected house mice do not affect the success of tick feeding and the control of the causative agent of Lyme disease.},
  language  = {en}
}
@misc{MaazKrueckenBluemkeetal.2018,
  author    = {Maaz, Denny and Kr{\"u}cken, J{\"u}rgen and Bl{\"u}mke, Julia and Richter, Dania and McKay-Demeler, Janina and Matuschka, Franz-Rainer and Hartmann, Susanne and von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg},
  title     = {Factors associated with diversity, quantity and zoonotic potential of ectoparasites on urban mice and voles},
  series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  journal   = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  number    = {685},
  issn      = {1866-8372},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-42684},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-426843},
  pages     = {32},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Wild rodents are important hosts for tick larvae but co-infestations with other mites and insects are largely neglected. Small rodents were trapped at four study sites in Berlin, Germany, to quantify their ectoparasite diversity. Host-specific, spatial and temporal occurrence of ectoparasites was determined to assess their influence on direct and indirect zoonotic risk due to mice and voles in an urban agglomeration. Rodent-associated arthropods were diverse, including 63 species observed on six host species with an overall prevalence of 99\%. The tick Ixodes ricinus was the most prevalent species, found on 56\% of the rodents. The trapping location clearly affected the presence of different rodent species and, therefore, the occurrence of particular host-specific parasites. In Berlin, fewer temporary and periodic parasite species as well as non-parasitic species (fleas, chiggers and nidicolous Gamasina) were detected than reported from rural areas. In addition, abundance of parasites with low host-specificity (ticks, fleas and chiggers) apparently decreased with increasing landscape fragmentation associated with a gradient of urbanisation. In contrast, stationary ectoparasites, closely adapted to the rodent host, such as the fur mites Myobiidae and Listrophoridae, were most abundant at the two urban sites. A direct zoonotic risk of infection for people may only be posed by Nosopsyllus fasciatus fleas, which were prevalent even in the city centre. More importantly, peridomestic rodents clearly supported the life cycle of ticks in the city as hosts for their subadult stages. In addition to trapping location, season, host species, body condition and host sex, infestation with fleas, gamasid Laelapidae mites and prostigmatic Myobiidae mites were associated with significantly altered abundance of I. ricinus larvae on mice and voles. Whether this is caused by predation, grooming behaviour or interaction with the host immune system is unclear. The present study constitutes a basis to identify interactions and vector function of rodent-associated arthropods and their potential impact on zoonotic diseases.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchmidtSaxenhoferDrewesetal.2016,
  author    = {Schmidt, Sabrina and Saxenhofer, Moritz and Drewes, Stephan and Schlegel, Mathias and Wanka, Konrad M. and Frank, Raphael and Klimpel, Sven and von Blanckenhagen, Felix and Maaz, Denny and Herden, Christiane and Freise, Jona and Wolf, Ronny and Stubbe, Michael and Borkenhagen, Peter and Ansorge, Hermann and Eccard, Jana and Lang, Johannes and Jourdain, Elsa and Jacob, Jens and Marianneau, Philippe and Heckel, Gerald and Ulrich, Rainer G{\"u}nter},
  title     = {High genetic structuring of Tula hantavirus},
  series = {Archives of virology},
  volume    = {161},
  journal   = {Archives of virology},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Wien},
  issn      = {0304-8608},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00705-016-2762-6},
  pages     = {1135 -- 1149},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Tula virus (TULV) is a vole-associated hantavirus with low or no pathogenicity to humans. In the present study, 686 common voles (Microtus arvalis), 249 field voles (Microtus agrestis) and 30 water voles (Arvicola spec.) were collected at 79 sites in Germany, Luxembourg and France and screened by RT-PCR and TULV-IgG ELISA. TULV-specific RNA and/or antibodies were detected at 43 of the sites, demonstrating a geographically widespread distribution of the virus in the studied area. The TULV prevalence in common voles (16.7 \%) was higher than that in field voles (9.2 \%) and water voles (10.0 \%). Time series data at ten trapping sites showed evidence of a lasting presence of TULV RNA within common vole populations for up to 34 months, although usually at low prevalence. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a strong genetic structuring of TULV sequences according to geography and independent of the rodent species, confirming the common vole as the preferential host, with spillover infections to co-occurring field and water voles. TULV phylogenetic clades showed a general association with evolutionary lineages in the common vole as assessed by mitochondrial DNA sequences on a large geographical scale, but with local-scale discrepancies in the contact areas.},
  language  = {en}
}