Authors

M Grzybek¹;  ¹ Medical University of Gdansk, Poland

Discussion

Introduction: Rodents, members of the most abundant and diversified mammalian order Rodentia, can pose a significant threat to the health of humans, livestock, and wildlife because they are hosts for a wide range of pathogens and, in some cases, constitute essential reservoir hosts for life-threatening zoonoses. Although short-term cross-sectional studies are useful as a starting point to obtain a comprehensive ecologic picture, long-term monitoring (several years and preferably a decade or longer) and a multisite approach are crucial to identify rodent species that can serve as reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens. Predicting regions where new outbreaks are most likely to happen is an essential step for preventing and minimizing the extent of zoonotic disease among humans. Here, I present the results of 22 years of biomonitoring of sylvatic rodents in NE Poland conducted within the PolVole project. I focus not only on the results per se but also on different issues linked to long-term studies.
Methods:Our study sites are located in the Mazury Lake District region in the northeast corner of Poland. Over 22 years of study, our objectives were to monitor the prevalence/seroprevalence and abundance of a wide group of parasites in the four abundant vole species found in the region (Myodes glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Microtus agrestis, and Alexandromys oeconomus) and to assess variation in their ecology dynamics attributable to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that were quantified.
Results: We report an analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the seroprevalence, prevalence and abundance of a broad group of pathogens (both zoonotic and nonzoonotic). While some pathogen species have fluctuated markedly (e.g., some helminths and haemoparasites) or have even become locally extinct in our study sites, others have shown relative stability from year to year.
Discussion: Results of our long-term biomonitoring provide a significant and novel contribution to our understanding of the ecology of parasites within vole populations. We underline the role of long-term studies that are necessary to comprehensively reveal the status of parasites in wildlife and assess the risk of possible infection, outbreaks, or spillovers. The World Organization for Animal Health recommends assessing infections in wild rodents to enable effective control and thereby reduce exposure of domestic animals and humans to zoonotic parasites. However, all appropriate action should be carried out with due regard for animal welfare and biodiversity.