title: Molecular Survey of Zoonotic Agents in Rodents and Other Small Mammals in Croatia.
abstract: Croatia is a focus for many rodent-borne zoonosis. Here, we report a survey of 242 rodents and small mammals, including 43 Myodes glareolus, 131 Apodemus flavicollis, 53 Apodemus agrarius, three Apodemus sylvaticus, six Sorex araneus, four Microtus arvalis, one Microtus agrestis, and one Muscardinus avellanarius, collected at eight sites in Croatia over an 8-year period. Multiplex MassTag polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for detection of Borrelia, Rickettsia, Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Francisella tularensis, and Coxiella burnetii. Individual PCR assays were used for detection of Leptospira, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, orthopoxviruses, flaviviruses, hantaviruses, and Toxoplasma gondii. Of the rodents, 52 (21.5%) were infected with Leptospira, 9 (3.7%) with Borrelia miyamotoi, 5 (2%) with Borrelia afzelii, 29 (12.0%) with Bartonella, 8 (3.3%) with Babesia microti, 2 (0.8%) with Ehrlichia, 4 (1.7%) with Anaplasma, 2 (0.8%) with F. tularensis, 43 (17.8%) with hantaviruses, and 1 (0.4%) with an orthopoxvirus. Other agents were not detected. Multiple infections were found in 32 rodents (13.2%): dual infections in 26 rodents (10.7%), triple infections in four rodents (2.9%), and quadruple infections in two rodents (0.8%). Our findings indicate that rodents in Croatia harbor a wide range of bacteria and viruses that are pathogenic to humans.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ante
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tadin
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia rt2249@cumc.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tokarz
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Alemka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Markotić
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Josip
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Margaletić
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Nenad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Josipa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Habuš
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Svoboda
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vucelja
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Aaloki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Komal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević," Zagreb, Croatia; Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York; Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: W Ian
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Lipkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D012377:Rodentia; D015047:Zoonoses