Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the Netherlands
The European mole (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) has a widespread distribution throughout Europe. However, little is known about the presence of zoonotic pathogens in European moles. We therefore tested 180 moles from the middle and the south of the Netherlands by (q)PCR for the presence of mul...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/1/41 |
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| author | Tryntsje Cuperus Ankje de Vries Ryanne I. Jaarsma Hein Sprong Miriam Maas |
| author_facet | Tryntsje Cuperus Ankje de Vries Ryanne I. Jaarsma Hein Sprong Miriam Maas |
| author_sort | Tryntsje Cuperus |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The European mole (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) has a widespread distribution throughout Europe. However, little is known about the presence of zoonotic pathogens in European moles. We therefore tested 180 moles from the middle and the south of the Netherlands by (q)PCR for the presence of multiple (tick-borne) zoonotic pathogens. Spotted fever <i>Rickettsia</i> was found in one (0.6%), <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in three (1.7%), <i>Bartonella</i> spp. in 69 (38.3%) and <i>Hantaviridae</i> in 89 (49.4%) of the 180 moles. Infections with <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i>, <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Neoehrlichia mikurensis</i>, <i>Borrelia</i> spp., <i>Spiroplasma</i> spp. and <i>Francisella tularensis</i> were not found. In addition, in a subset of 35 moles no antibodies against <i>Tick-borne encephalitis virus</i> were found. The obtained sequences of <i>Bartonella</i> spp. were closely related to <i>Bartonella</i> spp. sequences from moles in Spain and Hungary. The <i>Hantaviridae</i> were identified as the mole-borne Nova virus, with high sequence similarity to sequences from other European countries, and Bruges virus. Though the zoonotic risk from moles appears limited, our results indicate that these animals do play a role in multiple host-pathogen cycles. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:39:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3e51e0114592415486c090d1ea91309f |
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| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:39:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-3e51e0114592415486c090d1ea91309f2023-11-30T23:35:33ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-12-011114110.3390/microorganisms11010041Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the NetherlandsTryntsje Cuperus0Ankje de Vries1Ryanne I. Jaarsma2Hein Sprong3Miriam Maas4Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9 Bilthoven, 3720 BA Utrecht, The NetherlandsCentre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9 Bilthoven, 3720 BA Utrecht, The NetherlandsCentre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9 Bilthoven, 3720 BA Utrecht, The NetherlandsCentre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9 Bilthoven, 3720 BA Utrecht, The NetherlandsCentre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9 Bilthoven, 3720 BA Utrecht, The NetherlandsThe European mole (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) has a widespread distribution throughout Europe. However, little is known about the presence of zoonotic pathogens in European moles. We therefore tested 180 moles from the middle and the south of the Netherlands by (q)PCR for the presence of multiple (tick-borne) zoonotic pathogens. Spotted fever <i>Rickettsia</i> was found in one (0.6%), <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in three (1.7%), <i>Bartonella</i> spp. in 69 (38.3%) and <i>Hantaviridae</i> in 89 (49.4%) of the 180 moles. Infections with <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i>, <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Neoehrlichia mikurensis</i>, <i>Borrelia</i> spp., <i>Spiroplasma</i> spp. and <i>Francisella tularensis</i> were not found. In addition, in a subset of 35 moles no antibodies against <i>Tick-borne encephalitis virus</i> were found. The obtained sequences of <i>Bartonella</i> spp. were closely related to <i>Bartonella</i> spp. sequences from moles in Spain and Hungary. The <i>Hantaviridae</i> were identified as the mole-borne Nova virus, with high sequence similarity to sequences from other European countries, and Bruges virus. Though the zoonotic risk from moles appears limited, our results indicate that these animals do play a role in multiple host-pathogen cycles.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/1/41<i>Talpa europaea</i>molezoonotic pathogenszoonosesepidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Tryntsje Cuperus Ankje de Vries Ryanne I. Jaarsma Hein Sprong Miriam Maas Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the Netherlands Microorganisms <i>Talpa europaea</i> mole zoonotic pathogens zoonoses epidemiology |
| title | Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the Netherlands |
| title_full | Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the Netherlands |
| title_fullStr | Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the Netherlands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the Netherlands |
| title_short | Occurrence of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., <i>Hantaviridae</i>, <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in European Moles (<i>Talpa europaea</i>) from the Netherlands |
| title_sort | occurrence of i rickettsia i spp i hantaviridae i i bartonella i spp and i leptospira i spp in european moles i talpa europaea i from the netherlands |
| topic | <i>Talpa europaea</i> mole zoonotic pathogens zoonoses epidemiology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/1/41 |
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