Longitudinal study of a rodent invasion reveals shifts in host pathogen interactions
Abstract
Invasive species can disrupt native epidemiological processes, potentially leading to the emergence of zoonotic pathogens. The relatively recent appearance and spread of the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in Ireland provides a unique model system to study these phenomena. The depauperate small mammal community in Ireland, combined with baseline data, allows us to identify the invasion gradient of C. glareolus and its effects on rodent-borne pathogens over time. A total of 498 C. glareolus and 584 Apodemus sylvaticus were sampled, via removal trapping, across nine sites in Ireland in 2016 and 2017, with six sites revisited in 2021 and 2022. 16S rRNA metabarcoding identified 10 putative pathogenic Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) present in these rodents, relating to four bacterial taxa, Bartonella spp., Mycoplasma coccoides, Mycoplasma haemomuris and Mycoplasma penetrans, and one family of protozoans, Sarcocystidae. Several epidemiological processes were found to be correlated with the C. glareolus invasion; firstly, C. glareolus in Ireland exhibited patterns consistent with the enemy release hypothesis, compared to native populations in France, and the native A. sylvaticus in Ireland. Secondly, a potential dilution effect, with reduced prevalence of M. haemomuris in A. sylvaticus at the C. glareolus invasion core compared to the invasion front, was observed. Finally, C. glareolus had increased prevalence of Sarcocystidae at the invasion front when compared to the invasion core, depending on the time and stage of invasion. These findings further our understanding of pathogen dynamics during biological invasions, demonstrating that invaders affect native host-pathogen communities differently as they advance through various stages of establishment.
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BibTeX
@article{mcmanus2026longitudinal,
title = {{Longitudinal study of a rodent invasion reveals shifts in host pathogen interactions}},
author = {Andrew Mcmanus and Maxime Galan and Nathalie Charbonnel and Celia Holland and Vincent Sluydts and Annetta Zintl and Peter Stuart},
journal = {PLoS Pathogens},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1371/journal.ppat.1014349},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05794049v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Longitudinal study of a rodent invasion reveals shifts in host pathogen interactions
AU - Andrew Mcmanus
AU - Maxime Galan
AU - Nathalie Charbonnel
AU - Celia Holland
AU - Vincent Sluydts
AU - Annetta Zintl
AU - Peter Stuart
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/23
JO - PLoS Pathogens
DO - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1014349
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05794049v1
AB - Invasive species can disrupt native epidemiological processes, potentially leading to the emergence of zoonotic pathogens. The relatively recent appearance and spread of the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in Ireland provides a unique model system to study these phenomena. The depauperate small mammal community in Ireland, combined with baseline data, allows us to identify the invasion gradient of C. glareolus and its effects on rodent-borne pathogens over time. A total of 498 C. glareolus and 584 Apodemus sylvaticus were sampled, via removal trapping, across nine sites in Ireland in 2016 and 2017, with six sites revisited in 2021 and 2022. 16S rRNA metabarcoding identified 10 putative pathogenic Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) present in these rodents, relating to four bacterial taxa, Bartonella spp., Mycoplasma coccoides, Mycoplasma haemomuris and Mycoplasma penetrans, and one family of protozoans, Sarcocystidae. Several epidemiological processes were found to be correlated with the C. glareolus invasion; firstly, C. glareolus in Ireland exhibited patterns consistent with the enemy release hypothesis, compared to native populations in France, and the native A. sylvaticus in Ireland. Secondly, a potential dilution effect, with reduced prevalence of M. haemomuris in A. sylvaticus at the C. glareolus invasion core compared to the invasion front, was observed. Finally, C. glareolus had increased prevalence of Sarcocystidae at the invasion front when compared to the invasion core, depending on the time and stage of invasion. These findings further our understanding of pathogen dynamics during biological invasions, demonstrating that invaders affect native host-pathogen communities differently as they advance through various stages of establishment.
SN - 1553-7366
SN - 1553-7374
ER -