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During a survey of the helminth community of several rodent species in the Morogoro region (Tanzania), Trichuris whipworms (Nematoda: Trichuridae) were found in the ceca of the Natal multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis and a gerbil, Gerbilliscus vicinus (both Rodentia: Muridae). The taxonomic literature regarding Trichuris from African native rodents describes 10 species, but includes few metric and morphologic characters that discriminate between some of the pairs. The whipworms we sampled in Tanzanian Natal multimammate mice and gerbils were morphologically identified, respectively, as Trichuris mastomysi Verster, 1960 and Trichuris carlieri Gedoelst, 1916 sensu lato, but with characters that overlap or partially overlap with the cosmopolitan Murinae whipworm, Trichuris muris, already reported from several rodents in Africa. To clarify our identification, we sequenced the ITS-1, 5.8S, and ITS-2 ribosomal DNA region of the worms' nuclear genome. The genetic analyses clearly distinguish the whipworms we found in M. natalensis from those found in the gerbil, and both of these from T. muris whipworm reference sequences. The overlap of morphological characters between rodent whipworms suggests that reports of T. muris from rodent species not closely related to Murinae in other parts of Africa should be treated with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multimammate mice were trapped in Morogoro (Tanzania) and checked for pathogens • Helminths, Bartonella, Anaplasma and Hepatozoon were detected and linked to host factors • Infection probability of Anaplasma and Bartonella was higher in adults than juveniles • Less explorative mice had a higher infection probability with Bartonella • Mice infected with Bartonella are more likely to be co-infected with helminths Advances in experimental and theoretical work increasingly suggest that parasite interactions within a single host can affect the spread and severity of wildlife diseases. Yet empirical data to support predicted co-infection patterns are limited due to the practical challenges of gathering convincing data from animal populations and the stochastic nature of parasite transmission. Here, we investigated co-infection patterns between micro- (bacteria and protozoa) and macroparasites (gastro-intestinal helminths) in natural populations of the multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis). Fieldwork was performed in Morogoro (Tanzania), where we trapped 211 M. natalensis and tested their behaviour using a modified open-field arena. All animals were checked for the presence of helminths in their gastro-intestinal tract, three bacteria (Anaplasma, Bartonella, and Borrelia) and two protozoan genera (Babesia and Hepatozoon). Besides the presence of eight different helminth genera (reported earlier), we found that 19% of M. natalensis were positive for Anaplasma, 10% for Bartonella, and 2% for Hepatozoon species. Hierarchical modelling of species communities was used to investigate the effect of the different host-related factors on these parasites' infection probability and community structure. Our results show that the infection probability of Bartonella increased with the host's age, while the infection probability of Anaplasma peaked when individuals reached adulthood. We also observed that less explorative and stress-sensitive individuals had a higher infection probability with Bartonella. Finally, we found limited support for within-host interactions between micro-and macroparasites, as most co-infection patterns could be attributed to host exposure time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]