The pygmy field mouse – what does influence food quality?

The dominant rodent species in Central European agricultural landscapes are granivorous mouse species and herbivorous common voles. Although our knowledge of European wood mice is relatively good, there is a distinct lack of information on pygmy field mice inhabiting Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In this study, we examine the food quality of pygmy field mice in relation to environmental and population factors, and compare the food quality of related mouse species and common voles living in the same study plots. The dietary quality of the pygmy field mouse is similar to that of other mouse species; however, the food quality of pygmy field mice and common voles differed substantially, with mice having lower and more variable nitrogen content. For both rodent species, factors such as body size, age and sex had no influence on diet quality. Pygmy field mouse diet was mainly dependent on season, while total abundance had greatest influence on common vole diet

Laboratory testing of wood mouse and common vole sensitivity to bromadiolone, sodium selenite, and cellulose

Maintaining the numbers of wood mice and common voles at an acceptable economic level, especially during years of massive outbreaks, is a major challenge in plant protection. Efforts to reduce the negative effects of rodenticides on the environment, to improve the integrated pest control system, and to minimize risks for human and animal health require investigation of the potentials of cellulose, as a natural product, and sodium selenite as rodenticides. The present study was conducted to determine the sensitivity of these rodent species to bromadiolone (a.i. 0.005 %), sodium selenite (a.i. 0.1 and 0.05 %), and cellulose (a.i. 45 %) baits. All experiments were done using no-choice and choice feeding trials. A low acceptance of cellulose baits was found in the choice feeding trial, and the time of first deaths indicate that stress and hunger increase the death rate in both species. The taste had a negative impact on the acceptability of baits containing sodium selenite. Low bait acceptance of cellulose and sodium selenite resulted in lower mortality of both species. The acquired results indicate that bromadiolone remains a more effective solution than cellulose and sodium selenite for control of wood mice and common vole

Cinética do crescimento de Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetaceae) em diferentes meios de cultivo Cinetic growth of Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetacease) in different culture media

Estudou-se a cinética de crescimento de Borrelia burgdorferi, por um período de 3 meses, utilizando os seguintes oito meios de cultivo : (1) BSK adicionado de soro de coelho, (2) BSK adicionado de soro de suíno, (3) BSK adicionado de soro de suíno + 5 fluorouracil, (4) PMR, (5) CTB, (6) Dubos, (7) Caldo Brucella e (8) BHI. Todos os meios foram preparados assepticamente e mantidos em tubos de ensaio com capacidade para 10 ml. Para cada meio, o inoculo foi padronizado para conter no início 10² espiroquetas para cada 0,1 ml de cultivo. O monitoramento do crescimento foi feito contando-se o total de espiroquetas em 0,1 ml do meio entre lâmina de microscopia e lamínula com dimen sões de 10x30mm, tendo sido utilizado microscópio de campo escuro. A contagem foi realizada durante 14 semanas, tendo sido diária nos primeiros 12 dias e semanal a partir desta data. Houve crescimento de B. burgdorferi em todos meios testados, com melhor performance para três deles: BSK adicionado de soro de coelho, BSK adicionado de soro de suíno + 5 fluorouracil e meio CTB. Observou-se crescimento de B. burgdorferi a partir da 4ª semana, atingindo o platô de crescimento entre a 8ª e 12ª semanas, quando começou a exaustão do meio de cultivo. Formas císticas de B. burgdorferi foram observadas em todos os meios testados.<br>The cinetic of growth of Borrelia burgdorferi was studied during a 3-month period, using the following 8 culture media: (1) rabbit serum BSK, (2) swine serum BSK, (3) swine serum BSK+5 fluorouracil, (4) PMR, (5) CTB, (6) Dubos, (7) Brucella broth and (8) BHI. All media were prepared aseptically and were maintained in culture tubes of 10 ml capacity. For each medium, the inoculum was standardized to contain initially 10² spirochetes for each 0.1 ml of culture. The growth was monitorized by counting the total number of spirochetes in 0.1ml of medium in a dark field microscope, using a 10x30 mm cover slip. For the first 12 days, counting was done each 24 hours, and afterwards once a week during 14 weeks. There occurred growth of B. burgdorferi in all tested media, with the best performance of three of them: BSK with rabbit serum, BSK swine serum + 5 fluorouracil, and CTB medium. Growth of B. burgdorferi was seen from the 4th week on, reaching its maximum within 8-12 weeks, depleting the culture medium after this time. Cystic forms of B. burgdorferi were observed with all tested media