TY - JOUR A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Binder, Florian A1 - Freise, Jona A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Beyrers, Konrad A1 - Jacob, Jens A1 - Krüger, Detlev H. A1 - Hofmann, Jörg A1 - Dreesman, Johannes A1 - Ulrich, Rainer Günter T1 - Hantaviren in Deutschland BT - Aktuelle Erkenntnisse zu Erreger, Reservoir, Verbreitung und Prognosemodellen JF - Berliner und Münchener tierärztliche Wochenschrift N2 - Hantaviruses are small mammal-associated pathogens that are found in rodents but also in shrews, moles and bats. Aim of this manuscript is to give a current overview of the epidemiology and ecology of hantaviruses in Germany and to discuss respective models for the prediction of virus outbreaks. In Germany the majority of human disease cases are caused by the Puumala virus (PUUV), transmitted by the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). PUUV is associated with the Western evolutionary lineage of the bank vole and is not present in the eastern and northern parts of Germany. A second human pathogenic hantavirus is the Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV), genotype Kurkino; its reservoir host, the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), is mostly occurring in the eastern part of Germany. A PUUV-related hantavirus is the rarely pathogenic Tula virus (TULV), that is associated with the common vole (Microtus arvalis). In addition, Seewis virus, Asikkala virus, and Bruges virus are shrew- and mole-associated hantaviruses with still unknown pathogenicity in humans. Human disease cases are associated with the different hantaviruses according to their regional distribution. The viruses can cause mild to severe but also subclinical courses of the respective disease. The number of human PUUV disease cases in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2017 correlates with the occurrence of high levels of seed production of beech trees ("beech mast") in the preceding year. Models based on weather parameters for the prediction of PUUV disease clusters as developed in recent years need further validation and optimisation. in addition to the abundance of infected reservoir rodents, the exposure behaviour of humans affects the risk of human infection. The application of robust forecast models can assist the public health service to develop and communicate spatially and temporally targeted information. Thus, further recommendations to mitigate infection risk for the public may be provided. N2 - Hantaviren sind Kleinsäuger-assoziierte Krankheitserreger, die vor allem in Nagetieren, aber auch in Spitzmäusen, Maulwürfen und Fledermäusen vorkommen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, einen aktuellen Überblick zur Epidemiologie und Ökologie der Hantaviren in Deutschland zu geben und Modelle zur Vorhersage von Virusausbrüchen zu diskutieren. In Deutschland werden die meisten humanen Erkrankungsfälle beim Menschen durch das von der Rötelmaus (Myodes glareolus) übertragene Puumalavirus (PUUV) verursacht. PUUV ist mit der westlichen evolutionären Linie der Rötelmaus assoziiert und fehlt im östlichen und nördlichen Teil Deutschlands. Ein zweites humanpathogenes Hantavirus ist das Dobrava-Belgrad-Virus (DOBV), Genotyp Kurkino, dessen Reservoir die vor allem im östlichen Teil Deutschlands vorkommende Brandmaus (Apodemus agrarius) ist. Ein PUUV-verwandtes Hantavirus ist das selten humanpathogene Tulavirus (TULV), das mit der Feldmaus (Microtus arvalis) assoziiert ist. Darüber hinaus wurden mit dem Seewis-, Asikkala- und Brugesvirus Spitzmaus- und Maulwurf-assoziierte Hantaviren mit noch unklarer Humanpathogenität gefunden. Die humanen Erkrankungen sind jeweils mit den verschiedenen Hantaviren in deren regionaler Verteilung assoziiert und können mild bis schwer, aber auch subklinisch verlaufen. Das Auftreten von Häufungen humaner, durch PUUV verursachter Erkrankungen in den Jahren 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015 und 2017 korreliert mit dem Auftreten einer starken Fruktifikation der Buche („Buchenmast“) im jeweiligen Vorjahr. Auf der Basis von Wetterparametern sind Modelle zur Vorhersage von PUUV-Erkrankungshäufungen entwickelt worden, die zukünftig validiert und optimiert werden müssen. Neben dem Ausmaß des Virusvorkommens im Reservoir wird das Risiko humaner Infektionen durch das Expositionsverhalten des Menschen beeinflusst. Durch die Anwendung von Prognosemodellen soll der öffentliche Gesundheitsdienst in die Lage versetzt werden, räumlich und zeitlich gezielte und sachgerechte Präventionsempfehlungen für die Bevölkerung abzugeben. T2 - Hantaviruses in Germany: current knowledge on pathogens, reservoirs, distribution and forecast models KW - early warning system KW - hantavirus KW - hantavirus disease KW - rodents KW - population dynamics KW - Frühwarn-System KW - Hantavirus KW - Hantavirus-Erkrankung KW - Nagetiere KW - Populationsdynamik Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2376/0005-9366-18003 SN - 0005-9366 SN - 1439-0299 VL - 131 IS - 11-12 SP - 453 EP - 464 PB - Schlütersche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. CY - Hannover 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 - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Stefan A1 - Spierling, Nastasja G. A1 - Heuser, Elisa A1 - Kling, Christopher A1 - Schmidt, Sabrina A1 - Rosenfeld, Ulrike M. A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Jacob, Jens A1 - Ulrich, Rainer G. A1 - Essbauer, Sandra T1 - High prevalence of Rickettsia helvetica in wild small mammal populations in Germany JF - Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases N2 - Since the beginning of the 21st century, spotted fever rickettsioses are known as emerging diseases worldwide. Rickettsiae are obligately intracellular bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors. The ecology of Rickettsia species has not been investigated in detail, but small mammals are considered to play a role as reservoirs. Aim of this study was to monitor rickettsiae in wild small mammals over a period of five years in four federal states of Germany. Initial screening of ear pinna tissues of 3939 animals by Pan-Rick real-time PCR targeting the citrate synthase (gltA) gene revealed 296 rodents of seven species and 19 shrews of two species positive for rickettsial DNA. Outer membrane protein gene (ompB, ompAIV) PCRs based typing resulted in the identification of three species: Rickettsia helvetica (90.9%) was found as the dominantly occurring species in the four investigated federal states, but Rickettsia felis (7.8%) and Rickettsia raoultii (1.3%) were also detected. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in rodents of the genus Apodemus was found to be higher (approximately 14%) than in all other rodent and shrew species at all investigated sites. General linear mixed model analyses indicated that heavier (older) individuals of yellow-necked mice and male common voles seem to contain more often rickettsial DNA than younger ones. Furthermore, rodents generally collected in forests in summer and autumn more often carried rickettsial DNA. In conclusion, this study indicated a high prevalence of R. helvetica in small mammal populations and suggests an age-dependent increase of the DNA prevalence in some of the species and in animals originating from forest habitats. The finding of R. helvetica and R. felis DNA in multiple small mammal species may indicate frequent trans-species transmission by feeding of vectors on different species. Further investigations should target the reason for the discrepancy between the high rickettsial DNA prevalence in rodents and the so far almost absence of clinical apparent human infections. KW - Rickettsia helvetica KW - Rodent KW - Germany KW - Age KW - Reproduction KW - Season Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.01.009 SN - 1877-959X SN - 1877-9603 VL - 9 IS - 3 SP - 500 EP - 505 PB - Elsevier GMBH CY - München ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Rosenfeld, Ulrike M. A1 - Drewes, Stephan A1 - Fischer, S. A1 - Heuser, Emil A1 - Petraityte-Burneikiene, Rasa A1 - Ulrich, R. G. A1 - Jacob, J. T1 - Validation of the Puumala virus rapid field test for bank voles in Germany JF - Epidemiology and infection N2 - Puumala virus (PUUV) causes many human infections in large parts of Europe and can lead to mild to moderate disease. The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) is the only reservoir of PUUV in Central Europe. A commercial PUUV rapid field test for rodents was validated for bank-vole blood samples collected in two PUUV-endemic regions in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wurttemberg). A comparison of the results of the rapid field test and standard ELISAs indicated a test efficacy of 93-95%, largely independent of the origin of the antigens used in the ELISA. In ELISAs, reactivity for the German PUUV strain was higher compared to the Swedish strain but not compared to the Finnish strain, which was used for the rapid field test. In conclusion, the use of the rapid field test can facilitate short-term estimation of PUUV seroprevalence in bank-vole populations in Germany and can aid in assessing human PUUV infection risk. KW - Antibody detection KW - early warning KW - Europe KW - hantavirus KW - Myodes glareolus Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268816002557 SN - 0950-2688 SN - 1469-4409 VL - 145 IS - 3 SP - 434 EP - 439 PB - Cambridge Univ. Press CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mrochen, Daniel M. A1 - Schulz, Daniel A1 - Fischer, Stefan A1 - Jeske, Kathrin A1 - El Gohary, Heba A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Truebe, Patricia A1 - Suchomel, Josef A1 - Tricaud, Emilie A1 - Jacob, Jens A1 - Heroldova, Marta A1 - Bröker, Barbara M. A1 - Strommenger, Birgit A1 - Walther, Birgit A1 - Ulrich, Rainer G. A1 - Holtfreter, Silva T1 - Wild rodents and shrews are natural hosts of Staphylococcus aureus JF - International Journal of Medical Microbiology N2 - Laboratory mice are the most commonly used animal model for Staphylococcus aureus infection studies. We have previously shown that laboratory mice from global vendors are frequently colonized with S. aureus. Laboratory mice originate from wild house mice. Hence, we investigated whether wild rodents, including house mice, as well as shrews are naturally colonized with S. aureus and whether S. aureus adapts to the wild animal host. 295 animals of ten different species were caught in different locations over four years (2012-2015) in Germany, France and the Czech Republic. 45 animals were positive for S. aureus (15.3%). Three animals were co-colonized with two different isolates, resulting in 48 S. aureus isolates in total. Positive animals were found in Germany and the Czech Republic in each studied year. The S. aureus isolates belonged to ten different spa types, which grouped into six lineages (clonal complex (CC) 49, CC88, CC130, CC1956, sequence type (ST) 890, ST3033). CC49 isolates were most abundant (17/48, 35.4%), followed by CC1956 (14/48, 29.2%) and ST890 (9/48, 18.8%). The wild animal isolates lacked certain properties that are common among human isolates, e.g., a phage-encoded immune evasion cluster, superantigen genes on mobile genetic elements and antibiotic resistance genes, which suggests long-term adaptation to the wild animal host. One CC130 isolate contained the mecC gene, implying wild rodents might be both reservoir and vector for methicillin-resistant. In conclusion, we demonstrated that wild rodents and shrews are naturally colonized with S. aureus, and that those S. aureus isolates show signs of host adaptation. KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - Colonization KW - Wild mice KW - Host adaptation KW - Immune evasion cluster KW - mecC Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.09.014 SN - 1438-4221 SN - 1618-0607 VL - 308 IS - 6 SP - 590 EP - 597 PB - Elsevier CY - Jena ER - TY - GEN A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Rosenfeld, Ulrike M. A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Schmidt, Sabrina A1 - Ulrich, Rainer G. A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Jacob, Jens T1 - Puumala hantavirus infections in bank vole populations BT - host and virus dynamics in Central Europe T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Background In Europe, bank voles (Myodes glareolus) are widely distributed and can transmit Puumala virus (PUUV) to humans, which causes a mild to moderate form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, called nephropathia epidemica. Uncovering the link between host and virus dynamics can help to prevent human PUUV infections in the future. Bank voles were live trapped three times a year in 2010–2013 in three woodland plots in each of four regions in Germany. Bank vole population density was estimated and blood samples collected to detect PUUV specific antibodies. Results We demonstrated that fluctuation of PUUV seroprevalence is dependent not only on multi-annual but also on seasonal dynamics of rodent host abundance. Moreover, PUUV infection might affect host fitness, because seropositive individuals survived better from spring to summer than uninfected bank voles. Individual space use was independent of PUUV infections. Conclusions Our study provides robust estimations of relevant patterns and processes of the dynamics of PUUV and its rodent host in Central Europe, which are highly important for the future development of predictive models for human hantavirus infection risk. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 957 KW - Myodes glareolus KW - population dynamics KW - Puumala virus seroprevalence KW - space use KW - survival Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-431232 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 957 ER - TY - THES A1 - Reil, Daniela T1 - Puumala hantavirus dynamics in bank voles: identification of environmental correlates to predict human infection risk Y1 - 2016 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Rosenfeld, Ulrike M. A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Schmidt, Sabrina A1 - Ulrich, Rainer G. A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Jacob, Jens T1 - Puumala hantavirus infections in bank vole populations BT - host and virus dynamics in Central Europe JF - BMC ecology N2 - Background In Europe, bank voles (Myodes glareolus) are widely distributed and can transmit Puumala virus (PUUV) to humans, which causes a mild to moderate form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, called nephropathia epidemica. Uncovering the link between host and virus dynamics can help to prevent human PUUV infections in the future. Bank voles were live trapped three times a year in 2010–2013 in three woodland plots in each of four regions in Germany. Bank vole population density was estimated and blood samples collected to detect PUUV specific antibodies. Results We demonstrated that fluctuation of PUUV seroprevalence is dependent not only on multi-annual but also on seasonal dynamics of rodent host abundance. Moreover, PUUV infection might affect host fitness, because seropositive individuals survived better from spring to summer than uninfected bank voles. Individual space use was independent of PUUV infections. Conclusions Our study provides robust estimations of relevant patterns and processes of the dynamics of PUUV and its rodent host in Central Europe, which are highly important for the future development of predictive models for human hantavirus infection risk KW - Myodes glareolus KW - Population dynamics KW - Puumala virus seroprevalence KW - Space use KW - Survival Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-017-0118-z SN - 1472-6785 VL - 17 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Folkertsma, Remco A1 - Schirmer, Annika T1 - The scent of infanticide risk? BT - Behavioural allocation to current and future reproduction in response to mating opportunity and familiarity with intruder JF - Behavioral ecology and sociobiology N2 - The killing of young by unrelated males is widespread in the animal kingdom. In short-lived small rodents, females can mate immediately after delivery (post-partum oestrus) and invest in future reproduction, but infanticide may put the nestlings, their current reproductive investment, at risk. Here, we investigated the behavioural trade-offs between mating interest and nest protection in an arena experiment with bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Non-gravid females (n=33) were housed at one end of a large structured arena with their nestlings. Different scents (cage bedding) were presented to each female in a replicated design. Three combinations of mating opportunities and male-female familiarity were simulated using different scent donors: mating opportunity with the sire of the nestlings with whom the female was familiar; mating opportunity with a male unrelated to the offspring and unfamiliar to the female, thus posing a higher risk to the offspring; and neither risk nor mating opportunity (clean control). Most females investigated male scents, regardless of familiarity, leaving their litter unprotected. During control treatment, females with larger litters spent less time at the scent area, indicating increasing nursing demands or better protection. Females with older litters visited scents more often, suggesting an increased interest in reproduction while they are non-gravid alongside the decreased risk of infanticide for older young. In the presence of unfamiliar scents, females spent more time protecting their nests, supporting the perceived association of unfamiliarity with infanticide risk. Thus, rodent females flexibly allocate time spent between searching for a mate and protecting their nest, which is modulated by their familiarity with a potential intruder.Significance statementInfanticide by conspecific males is an extreme form of sexual conflict and has large costs on females, abolishing their investment into current offspring. In an experimental approach, we exposed lactating female bank voles to different combinations of mating opportunity and familiarity to a (simulated) intruder: (1) the sire of the nestlings with whom the female was familiar and, therefore, potentially less risky in terms of infanticide; (2) a male which was unrelated and unfamiliar to the female and thus posed a higher risk to the offspring; or (3) as a control, cage bedding, which posed neither risk of infanticide nor a mating opportunity. We show that females flexibly allocated pup protection and mating interest based on their familiarity with the male, indicating that the unfamiliar males pose a threat to offspring, which is perceived by the females. Females further adjusted their behaviour to the size and/or age of their current litter, investing more time in male scents when offspring were older, thus balancing future and current investments into reproduction. KW - Reproductive strategy KW - Infanticide risk KW - Odour recognition KW - Familiarity KW - Counterstrategy KW - Sexual conflict Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2585-4 SN - 0340-5443 SN - 1432-0762 VL - 72 IS - 175 PB - Springer Nature Switzerland AG CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Jacob, Daniela A1 - Hempelmann, Nils A1 - Jacob, Jens T1 - Quantifying the past and future impact of climate on outbreak patterns of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) JF - Pest management science N2 - BACKGROUND Central European outbreak populations of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus Schreber) are known to cause damage in forestry and to transmit the most common type of Hantavirus (Puumala virus, PUUV) to humans. A sound estimation of potential effects of future climate scenarios on population dynamics is a prerequisite for long-term management strategies. Historic abundance time series were used to identify the key weather conditions associated with bank vole abundance, and were extrapolated to future climate scenarios to derive potential long-term changes in bank vole abundance dynamics. RESULTS Classification and regression tree analysis revealed the most relevant weather parameters associated with high and low bank vole abundances. Summer temperatures 2 years prior to trapping had the highest impact on abundance fluctuation. Extrapolation of the identified parameters to future climate conditions revealed an increase in years with high vole abundance. CONCLUSION Key weather patterns associated with vole abundance reflect the importance of superabundant food supply through masting to the occurrence of bank vole outbreaks. Owing to changing climate, these outbreaks are predicted potentially to increase in frequency 3-4-fold by the end of this century. This may negatively affect damage patterns in forestry and the risk of human PUUV infection in the long term. (c) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry KW - climate change KW - population dynamics KW - bank vole KW - regression tree KW - outbreak Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.3838 SN - 1526-498X SN - 1526-4998 VL - 71 IS - 2 SP - 166 EP - 172 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER -