TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mazza, Valeria
A1  - Eccard, Jana
A1  - Zaccaroni, Marco
A1  - Jacob, Jens
A1  - Dammhahn, Melanie
T1  - The fast and the flexible
BT  - cognitive style drives individual variation in cognition in a small mammal
JF  - Animal behaviour
KW  - animal personality
KW  - associative learning
KW  - behavioural syndrome
KW  - fast and slow learner
KW  - individual differences
KW  - Myodes glareolus
KW  - rodent
KW  - speed-accuracy trade-off
KW  - temperament
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.01.011
SN  - 0003-3472
SN  - 1095-8282
VL  - 137
SP  - 119
EP  - 132
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fischer, Stefan
A1  - Mayer-Scholl, Anne
A1  - Imholt, Christian
A1  - Spierling, Nastasja G.
A1  - Heuser, Elisa
A1  - Schmidt, Sabrina
A1  - Reil, Daniela
A1  - Rosenfeld, Ulrike M.
A1  - Jacob, Jens
A1  - Nöckler, Karsten
A1  - Ulrich, Rainer G.
T1  - Leptospira genomospecies and sequence type prevalence in small mammal populations in Germany
JF  - Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
N2  - Leptospirosis is a worldwide emerging infectious disease caused by zoonotic bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Numerous mammals, including domestic and companion animals, can be infected by Leptospira spp., but rodents and other small mammals are considered the main reservoir. The annual number of recorded human leptospirosis cases in Germany (2001-2016) was 25-166. Field fever outbreaks in strawberry pickers, due to infection with Leptospira kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa, were reported in 2007 and 2014. To identify the most commonly occurring Leptospira genomospecies, sequence types (STs), and their small mammal host specificity, a monitoring study was performed during 2010-2014 in four federal states of Germany. Initial screening of kidney tissues of 3,950 animals by PCR targeting the lipl32 gene revealed 435 rodents of 6 species and 89 shrews of three species positive for leptospiral DNA. PCR-based analyses resulted in the identification of the genomospecies L. kirschneri (62.7%), Leptospira interrogans (28.3%), and Leptospira borgpetersenii (9.0%), which are represented by four, one, and two STs, respectively. The average Leptospira prevalence was highest (approximate to 30%) in common voles (Microtus arvalis) and field voles (Microtus agrestis). Both species were exclusively infected with L. kirschneri. In contrast, in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), DNA of all three genomospecies was detected, and in common shrews (Sorex araneus) DNA of L. kirschneri and L. borgpetersenii was identified. The association between individual infection status and demographic factors varied between species; infection status was always positively correlated to body weight. In conclusion, the study confirmed a broad geographical distribution of Leptospira in small mammals and suggested an important public health relevance of common and field voles as reservoirs of L. kirschneri. Furthermore, the investigations identified seasonal, habitat-related, as well as individual influences on Leptospira prevalence in small mammals that might impact public health.
KW  - demography
KW  - Germany
KW  - habitat
KW  - Leptospira spp
KW  - leptospirosis
KW  - MLST
KW  - rodent
KW  - shrew
KW  - SLST
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2017.2140
SN  - 1530-3667
SN  - 1557-7759
VL  - 18
IS  - 4
SP  - 188
EP  - 199
PB  - Liebert
CY  - New Rochelle
ER  -