We report a new finding of the 54-chromosome sibling species of the common vole in East Siberia - the first description from Olkhon Island (Lake Baikal). The karyotype of a male specimen revealed by routine staining and C-banding demonstrates the unambiguous presence of Microtus rossiaemeridionalis Ognev, 1924 (recently often regarded as as junior synonym of Microtus levis Miller, 1908). Compar...

Genomic sequences of Tula (TULV) hantavirus were recovered from tissue samples of European common voles Microtus arvalis (subspecies obscurus) captured in Kazakhstan, Central Asia. Phylogenetic analysis of the S genomic segment of Kazakh TULV strains showed that they form distinct, well supported genetic lineage and share a more ancient common ancestor with two Russian lineages of TULV. The ded...

samplings were done in different locations of northeastern iran and different specimens were collected during two years. the specimens belong to 26 different species attributing to 6 families: scuridae (spermophilus fulvus), cricetidae (microtus transcaspicus, microtus paradoxus, blanfordimys afghanus, chionomys nivalis, ellobius talpinus, ellobius fuscocapillus, cricetulus migratorius), calomy...

To examine the host association of Tula virus (TULV), a hantavirus present in large parts of Europe, we investigated a total of 791 rodents representing 469 Microtus arvalis and 322 Microtus agrestis animals from northeast, northwest, and southeast Germany, including geographical regions with sympatric occurrence of both vole species, for the presence of TULV infections. Based on serological in...

Preliminary data indicate that chemicals can also increase the frequency of sex-chromosome nondisjunction. Positive results--which certainly need further confirmation--have been obtained for MMS, p-fluorophenylalanine, vincristine, procarbazine, carbendazim, and bleomycin. Nocodazole, benomyl, colcemic, 6-mercaptopurine, and halothane were all negative at the concentrations tested. For the indu...

The outer membrane plasminogen activator Pla of Yersinia pestis is a central virulence factor in plague. The primary structure of the Pla beta-barrel is conserved in Y. pestis biovars Antiqua, Medievalis, and Orientalis, which are associated with pandemics of plague. The Pla molecule of the ancestral Y. pestis lineages Microtus and Angola carries the single amino acid change T259I located in su...

Arvicolid rodents present both synaptic and asynaptic sex chromosomes. We analyzed the pairing behaviour of sex chromosomes in two species belonging to this rodent group (Microtus nivalis and Arvicola sapidus). At pachynema, the sex chromosomes of both species paired in a small region while the rest remain unsynapsed. Consequently at metaphase I, sex chromosomes present end-to-end association. ...

Hypogastrura persica sp. nov. is described from the Zagros Mountains (Kermanshah Province, Iran). The new species can be distinguished from two nearest congeners, namely H. exigua Gisin, 1958 (Alps) and H. magistri Babenko, 1994 (Siberia), by the body size, the number of sensilla on antennal segment IV, the number of setae on dens and ventral tube as well as chaetotaxy of abdominal terga IV and...

We report a PCR survey of hantavirus infection in an extensive field vole (Microtus agrestis) population present in the Kielder Forest, northern England. A Tatenale virus-like lineage was frequently detected (≈17% prevalence) in liver tissue. Lineages genetically similar to Tatenale virus are likely to be endemic in northern England.