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The occurrence of the trematode Plagiorchis muris in the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus in North Yorkshire, UK

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2007

M.T. Rogan*
Affiliation:
Biomedical Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, UK:
P.S. Craig
Affiliation:
Biomedical Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, UK:
G. Hide
Affiliation:
Biomedical Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, UK:
S. Heath
Affiliation:
Biomedical Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, UK:
A. Pickles
Affiliation:
Malham Tarn FSC Field Study Centre, Settle, North Yorkshire, UK
D.M. Storey
Affiliation:
Biomedical Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, UK:
*
*Fax: 0161 295 55015 E-mail: m.t.rogan@salford.ac.uk

Abstract

Wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus were trapped each September over a 13-year period, from 1993 to 2005, in a wooded area adjacent to Malham Tarn, Yorkshire, UK. Plagiorchis muris was found to be the dominant intestinal trematode and occurred in every year of sampling, with an overall prevalence of 16.9%. This appears to be the first record of P. muris in A. sylvaticus within the UK. The mean worm burden was 2.03 and the distribution of the parasite within mice was typically overdispersed. No difference in prevalence relative to host sex was evident although there was a higher prevalence of 21.9% in larger older mice compared with 9.1% in juveniles, which probably relates to a greater foraging activity in older mice. Annual prevalence values of P. muris infections varied significantly over the study period with higher prevalences being associated with years with a high spring/summer rainfall. The second intermediate hosts for P. muris include a variety of aquatic insect larvae and it is likely that the higher rainfall may result in the occurrence of temporary water bodies suitable for the development of insect larvae.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 Cambridge University Press 2007

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