Article
Infectious Diseases
Carlos Sacristan, Carlos G. das Neves, Faisal Suhel, Irene Sacristan, Torstein Tengs, Inger S. Hamnes, Knut Madslien
Summary: The study revealed varying prevalence of Bartonella in moose and red deer in Norway, with Bartonella also detected in ticks and biting midges. Moose may serve as a reservoir for Bartonella. This study marks the first report of Bartonella genus in ticks from Fennoscandia and Culicoides worldwide.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Michael A. Tranulis, Morten Tryland
Summary: Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative disorders that can be transmitted to humans through consumption of infected ruminant species. The identification of BSE prions as the cause of vCJD sparked a food safety crisis and led to protective measures. CWD continues to spread in North America and the discovery of unrecognized CWD strains in Europe has increased concerns about its risk as a food pathogen.
Article
Virology
Carlos Sacristan, Knut Madslien, Irene Sacristan, Siv Klevar, Carlos G. das Neves
Summary: Recent research has found that hepatitis E virus (HEV) is circulating in wild ungulates in Norway, with particularly high seropositivity observed in wild reindeer and moose. This suggests that these animals may be potential reservoirs of HEV.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lucas Nogueira Paz, Camila Hamond, Melissa Hanzen Pinna
Summary: In a fragment of peri-urban tropical forest in northeastern Brazil, free-ranging sambar deer are exposed to a high level of Leptospira spp. infection, with serogroups Cynopteri, Hebdomadis, and Grippotyphosa being the most prevalent. Detection of Leptospira interrogans DNA highlights the importance of implementing effective conservation measures for endangered species.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Mats Van Gestel, Erik Matthysen, Dieter Heylen, Kris Verheyen
Summary: The distribution of ticks is influenced by climate, particularly temperature and humidity. The microclimate buffering effect plays a role in tick survival and density variation. The herb layer biomass, which is expected to increase due to global warming, may also affect tick survival.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kayleigh M. Hansford, Liz McGinley, Benedict W. Wheeler, Barbara Tschirren, Jolyon M. Medlock
Summary: Ticks are present in various habitats, with woodland being important for Borrelia infection. This study investigated the density and prevalence of ticks in urban, peri-urban, and rural woodlands in southern England. The results showed that tick density and Borrelia infection rates were similar in urban and rural woodlands, suggesting a potential risk of Lyme borreliosis transmission in urban areas. This is of public health concern due to the dominance of Borrelia garinii, which is associated with neuroborreliosis.
ZOONOSES AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Laura L. Griffin, Amy Haigh, Bawan Amin, Jordan Faull, Alison Norman, Simone Ciuti
Summary: This study examines the artificial selection effects caused by human-wildlife feeding interactions on a population of wild fallow deer. It finds that only a subset of the population engages with humans, leading to disparity in diet and nutrition, impacting physiology and reproduction, and potentially resulting in artificial selection of begging behavior.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Paulina Kozina, Joanna N. Izdebska, Leszek Rolbiecki
Summary: A new species of Demodecidae, Demodex musimonis sp. nov., was discovered in the mouflon, and studying the patterns formed by mite communities in wild animals can shed light on parasitosis development in domesticated animals. Comparing the acarofauna of the mouflon and domestic sheep suggests the co-occurrence of different mite families and a complex mite community structure.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Olivier Plantard, Thierry Hoch, Romain Daveu, Claude Rispe, Frederic Stachurski, Franck Boue, Valerie Poux, Nicolas Cebe, Helene Verheyden, Magalie Rene-Martellet, Karine Chalvet-Monfray, Alessandra Cafiso, Emanuela Olivieri, Sara Moutailler, Pollet Thomas, Agoulon Albert
Summary: Tick-borne diseases in Europe have a complex epidemiology that involves various species of vertebrate hosts, vectors, and pathogens. A poorly known tick species, Ixodes frontalis, was found to have high density populations under bamboo bushes, likely due to providing birds with a favorable roosting place sheltered from predators and wind. This discovery may have implications for the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Gunnar Hasle, Hans Petter Leinaas, Lise Heier, Aida Lopez Garcia, Knut Hakon Roed
Summary: The study found significant genetic differences between Ixodes ricinus found on blackbirds and robins, with the former primarily originating in continental Europe. Early spring blackbirds were found to carry ticks of mixed origins from both Great Britain and continental Europe, while later in the season, ticks carried by blackbirds were mainly acquired locally.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Fiona McKiernan, Amie Flattery, John Browne, Jeremy Gray, Taher Zaid, Jack O'Connor, Annetta Zintl
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of B. divergens in ticks from different habitats in Ireland. The results showed that only 1% of ticks were infected with B. divergens, with the highest infection rate found in ticks collected from woodland. Most of the 18S rRNA gene fragments obtained from ticks in woodland were identical to published sequences from cattle and humans.
Article
Microbiology
Alzbeta Sujanova, Zuzana Cuziova, Radovan Vaclav
Summary: This study found that the infestation rates of ticks and the infection rates of Borrelia in bird-feeding ticks are related to the haemosporidian infection status of the birds. More than half of the bird-feeding ticks were infected with Borrelia. There is a negative correlation between the haemosporidian infection status of the birds and the Borrelia infection rate in bird-feeding ticks, but it is dependent on the age of the birds.
Article
Immunology
Nina Militzer, Alexander Bartel, Peter-Henning Clausen, Peggy Hoffmann-Kohler, Ard M. Nijhof
Summary: The life cycle of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus was completed for the first time in vitro, with longer feeding times, lower engorgement weights, and a significant improvement in feeding efficiency with the supplementation of vitamin B.
Article
Parasitology
Anna Obiegala, Leonie Arnold, Martin Pfeffer, Matthias Kiefer, Daniel Kiefer, Carola Sauter-Louis, Cornelia Silaghi
Summary: This study in Germany investigated ectoparasites on small mammals in natural habitats. The results showed high diversity of flea species, with ticks being the most prevalent. Polyparasitism had a significant influence on the prevalence of tick, mite, and flea species. Factors such as trapping location, season, and host characteristics also influenced the prevalence of certain ectoparasite species.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Milena Zduniak, Sarah Serafini, Aleksandra Wrobel, Rafal Zwolak
Summary: This study investigated the presence and potential causes of sex bias in ectoparasite infestations in yellow-necked mice. The results showed that male mice had a higher tick burden compared to females, but this difference was driven by their body mass rather than their sex. Additionally, the abundance of ticks and fleas infesting yellow-necked mice varied over time.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
A. Stene, A. Hellebo, H. Viljugrein, S. E. Solevag, M. Devold, V. Aspehaug
JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES
(2016)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Kjell Handeland, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Syverin Lierhagen, Marthe Opland, Attila Tarpai, Turid Vikoren
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2017)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Atle Mysterud, Solveig Jore, Olav Osteras, Hildegunn Viljugrein
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2017)
Article
Parasitology
Atle Mysterud, Vetle Malmer Stigum, Ingrid Vikingsdal Seland, Anders Herland, W. Ryan Easterday, Solveig Jore, Olav Osteras, Hildegunn Viljugrein
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2018)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Anja Brathen Kristoffersen, Lars Qviller, Kari Olli Helgesen, Knut Wiik Vollset, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Peder Andreas Jansen
Article
Biology
Atle Mysterud, Dieter J. A. Heylen, Erik Matthysen, Aida Lopez Garcia, Solveig Jore, Hildegunn Viljugrein
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Atle Mysterud, Knut Madslien, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Turid Vikoren, Roy Andersen, Mariella Evelyn Guere, Sylvie L. Benestad, Petter Hopp, Olav Strand, Bjornar Ytrehus, Knut H. Roed, Christer M. Rolandsen, Jorn Vage
Article
Psychology, Biological
Atle Mysterud, Inger M. Rivrud, Vegard Gundersen, Christer M. Rolandsen, Hildegunn Viljugrein
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Atle Mysterud, Petter Hopp, Kristin Ruud Alvseike, Sylvie L. Benestad, Erlend B. Nilsen, Christer M. Rolandsen, Olav Strand, Jorn Vage, Hildegunn Viljugrein
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Atle Mysterud, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Christer M. Rolandsen, Aniruddha V. Belsare
Summary: Intensive harvesting of hosts is often the only practical way to control emerging wildlife diseases, with a focus on eliminating all infected individuals during the early phase of an outbreak. Low and medium harvest intensities are unsuccessful in disease elimination, but high-intensity harvesting may have a high likelihood of success, dependent on disease prevalence. Adaptive management is suggested to address uncertainty in disease prevalence estimates.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Fabienne Krauer, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Katharine R. Dean
Summary: This study systematically analyzes the seasonality of historical plague in the Northern Hemisphere, and provides consistent evidence that temperature-related processes influence the epidemic peak timing and growth rates of plague outbreaks. The research shows that epidemic peak timing follows a latitudinal gradient, with mean annual temperature negatively associated with peak timing, and the growth of plague epidemics across the entire study region depends on similar absolute temperature thresholds.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Hildegunn Viljugrein, Petter Hopp, Sylvie L. Benestad, Jorn Vage, Atle Mysterud
Summary: The practice of reindeer pastoralism is threatened by an outbreak of CWD among wild reindeer. Developing a surveillance system tailored to semi-domestic reindeer herding can improve efficiency and reduce invasiveness, enabling early disease detection and mitigation. Management systems and surveillance methods need to be adapted to different epidemiological settings to effectively monitor and control CWD in reindeer populations.
PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Asena Goren, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Inger Maren Rivrud, Solveig Jore, Haakon Bakka, Yngvild Vindenes, Atle Mysterud
Summary: Climate change has caused significant changes in seasonal weather patterns and phenology in various species. However, there is limited empirical research on the impact of these changes on the emergence and seasonal dynamics of vector-borne diseases. Lyme borreliosis, the most common vector-borne disease in the northern hemisphere, has been increasing in incidence and geographical distribution. An analysis of long-term surveillance data from Norway shows a marked change in the timing of Lyme borreliosis cases, with the peak now occurring six weeks earlier than 25 years ago. This study highlights the potential for climate change to shape the seasonal dynamics of vector-borne diseases.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Atle Mysterud, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Roy Andersen, Geir Rune Rauset, Malin Rokseth Reiten, Christer M. Rolandsen, Olav Strand
Summary: Climate changes can cause sudden changes in the epidemiological characteristics of infectious wildlife diseases, leading to outbreaks. The impact of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) on large vertebrate populations is poorly documented, in part due to limited surveillance of remote wildlife populations. In this study, the likely impact of digital necrobacillosis on wild alpine reindeer in a national park in Norway was quantified. The outbreak of digital necrobacillosis in 2019 resulted in a decrease in summer survival rate of juveniles, but its overall impact on population dynamics was moderate.
Article
Ecology
Atle Mysterud, Hildegunn Viljugrein, Petter Hopp, Roy Andersen, Haakon Bakka, Sylvie L. Benestad, Knut Madslien, Torfinn Moldal, Geir Rune Rauset, Olav Strand, Linh Tran, Turid Vikoren, Jorn Vage, Christer M. Rolandsen
Summary: Surveillance of wildlife diseases is challenging but important, and using citizen science and hunters can help in expanding coverage. This study reports the successful use of recreational hunters in monitoring chronic wasting disease in wild reindeer in Norway.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2023)