We have identified and determined the sequence and organization of a new rat satellite DNA in Rattus rattus, the roof rat. This satellite DNA, which we call R. rattus satellite I', consists of tandem arrays of a 185 base pair (bp) repeat unit that we call a'. a' is 86% homologous to a 185 bp portion of the 370 bp repeat unit of the previously described rat satellite [Pech et al. (1979) Nucleic ...

The potential for hantaviral transmission among wild Norway rats by wounding associated with aggressive interactions was evaluated using a prospective sero-epidemiological study coupled with a mark-release-recapture survey. There was a significant association between an animal's serological status and the presence of wounds. Longitudinal studies of marked and released animals showed seroconvers...

A survey of ectoparasites on rodents was carried out bimonthly from April 2008 to March 2009 in 3 districts of Sukhothai Province, northern Thailand. A total of 130 rodents comprising 8 species of hosts were captured and examined for ectoparasites. The hosts examined were Bandicota indica, Bandicota savilei, Rattus losea, Rattus rattus, Rattus exulans, Rattus norvegicus, Menetes berdmorei and T...

Amastigotes of a Kenyan strain of Leishmania donovani from a previously infected hamster were used to inoculate Rattus rattus and the laboratory white rat intracardially. The animals were sampled at 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks post-inoculation to determine infectivity and total parasite burdens in the liver and spleen. Higher parasite burdens were observed in the livers and spleens of R. rattus. Para...

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that infects a large spectrum of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Small rodents and marsupials play an important role in the epidemiology of T. gondii because they are sources of infection for domestic and feral cats. Serum samples from 151 rodents and 48 marsupials, captured in the Atlantic Forest, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil, were anal...

In their native range, Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) have strong interactions with a multitude of species due to the annual pulse marine-derived nutrients that they deliver streams and forests when spawn die. Over past few decades, Chinook tshawytscha) has established non-native populations throughout Patagonia region southern South America. Here, we provide first assessment pathways throu...

We investigated infection of rodents and shrews by Leptospira spp. in two localities of Cambodia (Veal Renh, Kaev Seima) and in four types of habitat (forests, non-flooded lands, lowland rain-fed paddy fields, houses) during the wet and the dry seasons. Habitat preference was common, and rodent and shrew species were found only in houses or in rain-fed paddy fields or in forests. Among 649 smal...

Blind subterranean mole rats of the Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies in Israel have evolved multiple adaptive strategies to face underground hypoxia. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and erythropoietin (Epo) are key factors in the development of normal erythropoiesis and angiogenesis. Here, we demonstrate via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quantification that Spalax fetal l...