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As a part of research activities focused on rodent helminth fauna in Serbia, over the previous decade, we registered the presence of a species with zoonotic potential, Moniliformis moniliformis, an acanthocephalan (or spiny-headed worm) intestinal parasite that primarily infects rats, mice, and voles. The adult form of the species M. moniliformis was found in the small intestine of a single striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) from Cer Mountain, and two individuals of the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) from the localities of Donji Milanovac and Senokos. Another species of Acanthocephala, reported in earlier studies of Spermophilus citellus in Serbia, is Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus, which also has zoonotic potential. Data on human infection with the acanthocephalans are scarce worldwide, including Serbia, but they should not be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Intestinal nematodes were analyzed in three small rodent species: Apodemus sylvaticus, Apodemus flavicollis, and Myodes glareolus. In total, 15 species of nematodes were identified. We studied the relationship between the parasitological parameters (individual parasite species richness IndPSR and individual parasite load IndPL) and morphological characteristics (body mass, body condition index BCI, and spleen mass). In all of the studied species, our results showed that animals in a better condition (BCI) had significantly higher parasite species richness, as we had expected. Furthermore, we showed that females of the same BCI as males were parasitized with more parasite species in A. flavicollis. Contrary to our expectations, the spleen mass did not reflect changes in the level of parasitism, but in M. glareolus, a smaller spleen was related to a higher parasite load. Since the spleen is just part of the complex immune response, it is possible that the presence of nematode parasite species provokes, in small rodent species, a response at the other levels of the immune system. Nematode burdens and variation in morphological characteristics were assessed in eighty-eight animals from three host species (Apodemus sylvaticus, Apodemus flavicollis, and Myodes glareolus) from eight localities in Serbia. In total, 15 species of nematodes were identified, and the overall mean parasite species richness (IndPSR) was 1.61 per animal (1.98 in A. flavicollis, 1.43 in M. glareolus, and 0.83 in A. sylvaticus). Furthermore, the studied host species significantly differed in individual parasite load (IndPL) and in the following morphological characters: spleen mass, body condition index (BCI), and body mass. We aimed to analyze the relationship between the burden of intestinal nematodes, on one hand, and the body conditions of the host and its capability to develop immune defends on the other. Spleen mass was considered as a measure of immune response. In all host species, larger animals with a better condition (higher BCI) were infected with more parasites species (IndPSR), while parasite load was not related to BCI. Only in A. flavicollis were males significantly larger, but females of the same sizes were infected with more parasite species. This female-biased parasitism is contrary to the theoretical expectation that males should be more parasitized, being larger, more active, with a wider home range. Although the spleen size was significantly correlated with body condition and body mass, IndPSR was not related to spleen mass in any studied species, but in M. galareolus, we found that a smaller spleen was related to higher infection intensity (IndPL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mammalian mandible and cranium are well-established model systems for studying canalization and developmental stability (DS) as two elements of developmental homeostasis. Nematode infections are usually acquired in early life and increase in intensity with age, while canalization and DS of rodent skulls could vary through late postnatal ontogeny. We aimed to estimate magnitudes and describe patterns of mandibular and cranial canalization and DS related to age and parasite intensity (diversity) in adult yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis). Results: We found the absence of age-related changes in the levels of canalization for mandibular and cranial size and DS for mandibular size. However, individual measures of mandibular and cranial shape variance increased, while individual measures of mandibular shape fluctuating asymmetry (FA) decreased with age. We detected mandibular and cranial shape changes during postnatal ontogeny, but revealed no age-related dynamics of their covariance structure among and within individuals. Categories regarding parasitism differed in the level of canalization for cranial size and the level of DS for cranial shape. We observed differences in age-related dynamics of the level of canalization between non-parasitized and parasitized animals, as well as between yellow-necked mice parasitized by different number of nematode species. Likewise, individual measures of mandibular and cranial shape FA decreased with age for the mandible in the less parasitized category and increased for the cranium in the most parasitized category. Conclusions: Our age-related results partly agree with previous findings. However, no rodent study so far has explored age-related changes in the magnitude of FA for mandibular size or mandibular and cranial FA covariance structure. This is the first study dealing with the nematode parasitism-related canalization and DS in rodents. We showed that nematode parasitism does not affect mandibular and cranial shape variation and covariance structure among and within individuals. However, parasite intensity (diversity) is related to ontogenetic dynamics of the levels of canalization and DS. Overall, additional studies on animals from natural populations are required before drawing some general conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, 64 golden jackals were examined for intestinal helminths in three regions of Vojvodina, Serbia. Among the examined jackals 57.8% were infected with at least one parasite species. Using the intestinal scraping technique (SCT), eight species of intestinal helminths were found: Alaria alata (7.8%), Toxascaris leonina (9.4%), Toxocara canis (4.7%), Uncinaria stenocephala (20.3%), Echinococcus multilocularis (14.1%), Mesocestoides sp. (42.2%), Taenia pisiformis, and Taenia hydatigena (the overall prevalence of Taenia infection was 6.3%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of T. leonina in jackals from Serbia. In comparison with the SCT results, coprological tests were less sensitive and specific for parasite identification, as only two nematode species (T. leonina and T. canis) as well as ancylostomatid and taeniid eggs were identified. The total prevalence of intestinal helminths was higher in males (71.9% males, 45% females), but the difference was not statistically significant (χ2 = 3.76; P = 0.052). Co-infection with two species of intestinal helminths was found in 35% of the examined golden jackal individuals, three-species co-infection was demonstrated in 21.6%, whereas four-species co-infection was detected in 2.7% of the golden jackals examined. Echinococcus multilocularis has previously been recorded in jackals and foxes in Serbia, but only in Vojvodina. Our results corroborate the findings of previous studies, and indicate that the Vojvodina Province, more specifically the Srem region, is probably a high-risk area for E. multilocularis transmission to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the present study, 223 foxes were collected from various localities in the northern part of the Republic of Serbia (Vojvodina province) and examined for intestinal helminths. Among the examined foxes 178 (79.8%) were infected. The most frequently identified parasites were Mesocestoides spp. (49.3%) and Toxascaris leonina (36.3%). The parasite with the lowest prevalence was Pterygodermatites affinis (0.9%), and this is the first confirmed finding in Serbia. The other recovered species were Alaria alata (25.6%), Taenia spp. (6.3%), Echinococcus multilocularis (13%), Toxocara canis (16.6%) and Uncinaria stenocephala (14.8%). The highest number of foxes infected with E. multilocularis were in the Srem area. The results of this study indicate the presence of helminth species in red foxes in Vojvodina which may also infect humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foxes and jackals from the Vojvodina Province of Serbia were examined for the presence of echinococcosis. Animals were collected as part of routine rabies monitoring and autopsied; their intestines were checked for parasites. Out of 112 examined foxes, echinococcosis was found in 20 (17.9 %); of 28 examined jackals, 4 were infected (14.3 %). Morphological analysis confirmed the presence of Echinococcus multilocularis. This is the first record of E. multilocularis in foxes or other carnivorous mammals in Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic background underlying wild populations immune response to different parasites is still not well understood. We studied immune response to multiple infections and to competition between different parasite species at different developmental stages in population of yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to investigate associations of MHC II-DRB, IL-10 and Tgf-β genes expressions with presence of intestinal parasites at different developmental stages. Furthermore, we were interested whether the host related characteristics (sex, age, body condition, presence of B chromosomes or expression of other genes) or characteristics of present parasites (number of adult parasites of each identified species, egg count of each parasite genus, total number of nematode individuals) affect differential expression of the studied genes. A significant invert association between the expression of MHC II-DRB and Tgf-β gene was found, which together with absence of IL-10 association confirmed modified Th2 as the main type of immune response to nematode infections. Effect of recorded parasites and parasite life-cycle stage on expression levels of MHC II-DRB gene was detected only through interactions with host-related characteristics such as sex, age, and the presence of B chromosomes. The presence of B chromosomes is associated with lower expression level of Tgf-β gene. Although the influence of host genetic background on parasite infection has already been well documented, this is the first study in mammals that gave presence of B chromosomes on immune response full consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]