Emmonsiosis of Wild Rodents and Insectivores in Czechland

Abstract

Adiaspores of the fungus Emmonsia crescens were detected microscopically in the lung tissue of 13% of 10,081 small mammals belonging to 24 species examined in 14 areas of the Czech Republic between 1986 and1997; 441/1,934 (23%) Rattus norvegicus). The overall prevalence of emmonsiosis was significantly higher in adult (19%) than in juvenile (7%) mammals, and in rodents (13%, and 20% in adults) than in insectivores (2%, and 4% in adults). The frequency of infected mammals also varied according to geographic area, altitude, habitat, and season.

Emmonsiosis of subterranean rodents (Bathyergidae, Spalacidae) in Africa and Israel

“…Compared to the infection rate of some aboveground dwelling rodents (e.g., 23% in the bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus in Czechland: [16,27]), the 28% infection rate in Spalax is not as high as would be expected in a rodent that is almost totally confined to underground habitation. Thus both solitary living and more frequent reconstructions of tunnel burrows may provide some protection to subterranean rodents against Emmonsia infection.…”

“…In the laboratory, the tissue was placed in 2% potassium hydroxide solution at room temperature overnight, sliced into small tissue fragments from which compression slides were prepared, and then examined by bright field microscopy for typical Emmonsia adiaspores at magnification 150 )/. The adiaspores in the whole lung tissue were counted and their diameter measured as in the previous studies [15,16]. E. parva can be distinguished from E. crescens by markedly smaller adiaspores (up to 40 Á/50 mm, with a thin wall) in the lung tissue of mammals and, moreover, by its higher optimum temperature (408C vs. 378C in E. crescens ) for adiaspore formation [10,17].…”

Examination of rodents (Rodentia) for emmonsiosis in the Czech Republic, Israel and Africa.

“…The bulk of examined rodents in the present study were sampled in the Beskydy Mountains at 900-1200 m above sea level. According to earlier records, prevalence of emmonsiosis in rodents is generally low at higher elevations (Hubálek et al 1995b, Hubálek 1999. On the contrary, as many as 28 % of rodents sampled in a lowland floodplain forest at Blučina were infected.…”

“…Those of E. crescens measure up to 500 (700) μm in diameter. This species occurs across the Holarctic region (Dvořák 1965) including the Czech Republic (Otčenášek et al 1965, Prokopič 1971, Ječný and Vojtěchová 1984, Hubálek 1999, Fischer 2001. On the contrary, E. parva occurs in arid zones of North America (Carmichael 1951, Sigler 1998, Africa and Israel (Hubálek et al 2005), and on the Arabian peninsula (Al-Musallam 1989).…”

Adiaspiromycosis of anApodemus agrariuscaptured wild rodent in Korea

“…Infectious E. crescens cannot germinate at the elevated temperatures of the host, and instead increases in volume to form thick-walled, non-replicating adiaspores that elicit extensive granulomatous reaction [4]. Expanding adiaspores cause collapse of the adjacent alveoli and respiratory distress or even failure [19]. Clinical signs are not significant in rodents [9].…”