Detection of tick-borne pathogens in wild birds and their ticks in Western Siberia and high level of their mismatch

Abstract: The Tomsk region located in the south of Western Siberia is one of the most high-risk areas for tick-borne diseases due to elevated incidence of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease in humans. Wild birds may be considered as one of the reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens and hosts for infected ticks. A high mobility of wild birds leads to unpredictable possibilities for the dissemination of tick-borne pathogens into new geographical regions. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in wild birds and ticks that feed on them as well as to determine the role of different species of birds in maintaining the tickborne infectious foci. We analysed the samples of 443 wild birds (60 species) and 378 ticks belonging to the genus Ixodes Latraille, 1795 collected from the wild birds, for detecting occurrence of eight tick-borne pathogens, the namely tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), West Nile virus (WNV), and species of Borrelia, Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Bartonella and Babesia Starcovici, 1893, using RT-PCR/or PCR and enzyme immunoassay. One or more tick-borne infection markers were detected in 43 species of birds. All markers were detected in samples collected from fieldfare Turdus pilaris Linnaeus, Blyth’s reed warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum Blyth, common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Linnaeus), and common chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus. Although all pathogens have been identified in birds and ticks, we found that in the majority of cases (75.5%), there were mismatches of pathogens in birds and ticks collected from them. Wild birds and their ticks may play an extremely important role in the dissemination of tick-borne pathogens into different geographical regions

Fecundity of the parti-coloured bat Vespertilio murinus L., 1758 (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in urban and suburban environments

The impact of the anthropogenic environment on the fecundity of the bat is poorly understood. Therefore, in this study we chose the parti-coloured bat Vespertilio murinus – synanthrope, which is known to produce 1–4 pups, to assess that association. We compared the litter sizes of V. murinus among synanthropous maternity colonies associated with urban and rural habitats. Two colonies were examined from the city and two colonies in suburbs, with a total of 144 individuals. Larger litter size (2.7–2.9 pups per female) was observed in urban colonies, compared to 1.8 in rural colonies. We hypothesise that specific micro- and mesoclimatic conditions along with artificial light could predict that difference, and thus could reduce the time spend in estivation, stimulate higher milk production in lactating females and accelerate juvenile growth. Artificial urban light may secure abundant and affordable food for females, producing larger offspring

Fecundity of the parti-coloured bat Vespertilio murinus L., 1758 (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in urban and suburban environments

The impact of the anthropogenic environment on the fecundity of the bat is poorly understood. Therefore, in this study we chose the parti-coloured bat Vespertilio murinus – synanthrope, which is known to produce 1–4 pups, to assess that association. We compared the litter sizes of V. murinus among synanthropous maternity colonies associated with urban and rural habitats. Two colonies were examined from the city and two colonies in suburbs, with a total of 144 individuals. Larger litter size (2.7–2.9 pups per female) was observed in urban colonies, compared to 1.8 in rural colonies. We hypothesise that specific micro- and mesoclimatic conditions along with artificial light could predict that difference, and thus could reduce the time spend in estivation, stimulate higher milk production in lactating females and accelerate juvenile growth. Artificial urban light may secure abundant and affordable food for females, producing larger offspring

Age-related variability of the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) song in natural and urban environments

The age-related variability of the frequency and structural–temporal parameters of the advertising song of Ficedula hypoleuca males in natural habitats and the urban environment were analysed. In the natural habitats, the range of male song frequencies, the maximal frequency, the number of figures, and the length of the song decreased from the third year of life. Similar age-related song changes in urban birds are observed earlier, from the second year of life. Urban birds have shown that the higher minimum song frequency increases with age, adapting the song to noise pollution

The history and modern condition of the brown bear (Ursus arctos L., 1758) of the West Siberian plain

Ursus arctos is a large carnivore and a common species for Western Siberia. The earliest traces of it date back to the Middle Pleistocene. During the Holocene, its population grew and its range significantly extended northwards. The modern West Siberian habitat lies between 55° and 67°N, and its dynamics are being affected by human activity and climate change. The beginning of the twenty-first century has been marked by the growth of the population of the brown bear and its occurrence in unusual habitats. Earlier studies of the population genetic structure prove the existence of a Pleistocene refugium on this territory. The body size of the West Siberian brown bear is the largest for U. arctos subscpecies within its range

The history and modern condition of the brown bear (Ursus arctos L., 1758) of the West Siberian plain

Ursus arctos is a large carnivore and a common species for Western Siberia. The earliest traces of it date back to the Middle Pleistocene. During the Holocene, its population grew and its range significantly extended northwards. The modern West Siberian habitat lies between 55° and 67°N, and its dynamics are being affected by human activity and climate change. The beginning of the twenty-first century has been marked by the growth of the population of the brown bear and its occurrence in unusual habitats. Earlier studies of the population genetic structure prove the existence of a Pleistocene refugium on this territory. The body size of the West Siberian brown bear is the largest for U. arctos subscpecies within its range

Complete mitogenome of the ixodid tick Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Ixodida)

Here, we present the complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Dermacentor reticulatus. The mitogenome is 14,806 bp and contains 13 protein-coding, 2 rRNA, and 22 tRNA genes, along with 2 control regions. Dermacentor reticulatus mitogenome has the common mitochondrial gene order of Metastriata ticks. It is phylogenetically close to the mitogenomes of Dermacentor ticks, of which D. everestanus mitogenome is the closest with 85.7% similarity. These data provide insights into the phylogenetic relations among Dermacentor ticks

New records of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae), with an updated checklist of the nycteribiids of Russia

We assembled a checklist by documenting and curating previously published data as well as previously unpublished records of bat flies from the Russian Federation. A total of 20 bat fly species are listed, belonging to 4 genera. Basilia mongolensis nudior Hůrka, 1972 and Basilia nattereri (Kolenati, 1857) are recorded from Russia for the first time. The following new host associations are reported: Basilia mongolensis nudior ex Myotis nattereri (Kuhl), Basilia nattereri ex Eptesicus nilssonii (Keyserling & Blasius), Basilia rybini Hůrka, 1969 ex Myotis dasycneme (Boie) and Eptesicus nilssonii, and Nycteribia quasiocellata Theodor, 1966 ex Vespertilio murinus Linnaeus. We provide data on nine major Russian regions for which nycteribiid records were previously lacking