Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
201,818 studies31 sourcesUpdated 45 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Parasitology

Molecular detection of multiple snake, raptor and mammal-related Sarcocystis lineages in micromammals in Mediterranean Spain

  • Dovilė Laisvūnė Bagdonaitė1
  • Ruth Rodríguez-Pastor2
  • Petras Prakas1
  • Dalius Butkauskas1
  • Javier Millán2,3,4
4 affiliations
  1. 1State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
  2. 2Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón-IA2 (Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA), Zaragoza, Spain
  3. 3Fundación ARAID, Zaragoza, Spain
  4. 4One Health Institute, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Micromammals are abundant in nature and have a significant role as reservoirs for various parasites and pathogens. Very little is currently known about Sarcocystis prevalence and species richness in wild micromammals from Mediterranean Spain. In the present study, a pool of heart, lungs, and brain of 371 individuals representing three species, Algerian mouse (Mus spretus), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), and white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula), was screened for Sarcocystis using molecular methods. Animals were sampled across 4 seasons in both natural and agricultural habitats. Prevalence in white-toothed shrew (28%) was significantly higher than in wood and Algerian mouse (17% and 18%, respectively). The lowest prevalence occurred in autumn, whereas no significant differences were detected between habitats. Analysis of 28S rRNA sequences revealed 11 Sarcocystis lineages, with the highest lineage diversity observed in the Algerian mouse. Based on comparative sequence and phylogenetic analysis, most of these lineages are suspected to use snakes as definitive hosts (DHs), three are associated with birds, and the DHs for two lineages are likely mammals. Notably, cox1 sequences could not be used to confidently identify all lineages. Our results reveal substantial diversity of Sarcocystis in Mediterranean micromammals and provide new insights into their transmission cycles.

Related

  1. Multiple refugia, post-glacial dispersal and strong isolation by distance around the Mediterranean Sea: genetic structure of the long-fingered bat (Myotis capaccinii)
    Andrea Viglino, Romolo Caniglia, Marco Galaverni +15
    Acta ChiropterologicaPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textEcologyGenetics & genomicsHAL
  2. Fossil micromammals from Gondolin GD2 (Early Pleistocene, South Africa)
    Pierre Linchamps, Dominic Stratford, Aurore Val +3
    Historical BiologyPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textEvolutionary biologyGeneral earth scienceHAL
  3. Sarcocystis sp. infection associated to encephalomyelitis and myositis in a Brazilian dog
    Ítalo Henrique do Nascimento Iara, Ana Flávia Goveia Martins, Luana de Sousa Ribeiro +5
    Veterinary Research CommunicationsPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textMicrobiologyPMC
  4. Gastrointestinal parasites and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia sp. in ruminants and other domestic animals in Corsica (France), a Mediterranean island environment.
    Sébastien Grech-Angelini, Venceslas Villier, Jean-Marc Santini +7
    Parasite (Paris, France)Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textMicrobiologyEurope PMCPMC
  5. Advanced molecular poliovirus diagnostics across multiple real-time PCR platforms with locked nucleic acids and primer overhangs
    Nancy Gerloff, Hong Sun, Brandon Short +9
    Journal of Clinical MicrobiologyPeer-reviewedPublisher termsFull textMicrobiologyHALPMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{bagdonaitė2026molecular,
  title = {{Molecular detection of multiple snake, raptor and mammal-related Sarcocystis lineages in micromammals in Mediterranean Spain}},
  author = {Dovilė Laisvūnė Bagdonaitė and Ruth Rodríguez-Pastor and Petras Prakas and Dalius Butkauskas and Javier Millán},
  journal = {Parasitology},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1017/s0031182026102480},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182026102480},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Molecular detection of multiple snake, raptor and mammal-related Sarcocystis lineages in micromammals in Mediterranean Spain
AU  - Dovilė Laisvūnė Bagdonaitė
AU  - Ruth Rodríguez-Pastor
AU  - Petras Prakas
AU  - Dalius Butkauskas
AU  - Javier Millán
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/17
JO  - Parasitology
DO  - 10.1017/s0031182026102480
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182026102480
AB  - Micromammals are abundant in nature and have a significant role as reservoirs for various parasites and pathogens. Very little is currently known about Sarcocystis prevalence and species richness in wild micromammals from Mediterranean Spain. In the present study, a pool of heart, lungs, and brain of 371 individuals representing three species, Algerian mouse (Mus spretus), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), and white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula), was screened for Sarcocystis using molecular methods. Animals were sampled across 4 seasons in both natural and agricultural habitats. Prevalence in white-toothed shrew (28%) was significantly higher than in wood and Algerian mouse (17% and 18%, respectively). The lowest prevalence occurred in autumn, whereas no significant differences were detected between habitats. Analysis of 28S rRNA sequences revealed 11 Sarcocystis lineages, with the highest lineage diversity observed in the Algerian mouse. Based on comparative sequence and phylogenetic analysis, most of these lineages are suspected to use snakes as definitive hosts (DHs), three are associated with birds, and the DHs for two lineages are likely mammals. Notably, cox1 sequences could not be used to confidently identify all lineages. Our results reveal substantial diversity of Sarcocystis in Mediterranean micromammals and provide new insights into their transmission cycles.
SN  - 0031-1820
SN  - 1469-8161
ER  -