Mus Musculus Research Articles

Rodent-borne parasites in Qatar: A possible risk at the human-animal-ecosystem interface.

Rodents are known reservoirs for a diverse group of zoonotic pathogens that can pose a threat to human health. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate these pathogens to institute prevention and control measures. To achieve this, the current study was conducted to investigate the frequency of different parasites in commensal rodents in Qatar. A total of 148 rodents, including Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus, and Mus musculus were captured using traps placed in different habitats such as agricultural and livestock farms, residential areas, and other localities. Blood, feces, ectoparasite, and visceral organs were collected for gross, microscopic, immunological, and molecular analysis. The study identified 10 different parasites, including Capillaria annulosa, Eimeria spp., Giardia spp., Hymenolepis diminuta, Mastophorus muris, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Taenia taeniaeformis, Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma lewisi, and Xenopsylla astia. Overall, 62.2% of the rodents tested positive for at least one parasite species. Helminths were found to be the most prevalent parasites (46.0%), followed by ectoparasites (31.8%), and protozoa (10.1%). However, individually, X. astia was the most prevalent (31.8%), whereas C. annulosa was the least common (0.7%). The prevalence of X. astia and H. diminuta significantly differed between habitats (p<0.05). The sequence analysis of Hymenolepis spp. was closely related to the previously reported H. diminuta in Iran, China, and Mexico. In conclusion, the study identified a diverse range of rodent-borne parasites that are important to public health, with most of them being recorded for the first time among commensal rodents in Qatar.

Prediction of Protein–Protein Interactions Based on Integrating Deep Learning and Feature Fusion

Understanding protein–protein interactions (PPIs) helps to identify protein functions and develop other important applications such as drug preparation and protein–disease relationship identification. Deep-learning-based approaches are being intensely researched for PPI determination to reduce the cost and time of previous testing methods. In this work, we integrate deep learning with feature fusion, harnessing the strengths of both approaches, handcrafted features, and protein sequence embedding. The accuracies of the proposed model using five-fold cross-validation on Yeast core and Human datasets are 96.34% and 99.30%, respectively. In the task of predicting interactions in important PPI networks, our model correctly predicted all interactions in one-core, Wnt-related, and cancer-specific networks. The experimental results on cross-species datasets, including Caenorhabditis elegans, Helicobacter pylori, Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, and Escherichia coli, also show that our feature fusion method helps increase the generalization capability of the PPI prediction model.

Occurrence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of Escherichia coli and Salmonella species isolated from domestic and peridomestic rodents

E. coli and Salmonella species are bacterial pathogens contributing to opportunistic infections, food poisoning, and urinary tract infections. Recently, research has shown that pathogens have repeatedly been found in rodents. Environmental interaction between human, livestock, and rodents is possibly disseminating these bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of E. coli and Salmonella spp. isolated from domestic and peri-domestic rodents in Iringa municipality, Tanzania. A total of 153 rodents were captured from January to March 2023 and clarified at the species level using identification keys. Rectal swabs were collected. E. coli and Salmonella spp. were isolated by culture methods and identified by biochemical tests and conventional PCR. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was done by disk diffusion method using five antimicrobials, including tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, ceftriaxone, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Seven resistant genes were tested by PCR, which were blaCTX-M, blaSHV, sul1, sul2, tetA, acrA, and aac(3)-1. Three rodent species, Rattus rattus (75.2%), Mastomys natalensis (23.5%), and Mus musculus (1.3%), were captured. 17 (11.1%) E. coli were detected, and no Salmonella spp. were isolated. All 17 isolates were susceptible to gentamycin and resistant to sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (52.9%). Four E. coli isolates exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR), whereby 75% of these MDR isolates originated from the same area. Six resistant genes were detected: blaCTX-M, sul1, sul2, tetA, acrA, and aac(3)-1, where the acr(A) resistant gene was the most abundant. There were co-occurrences of the resistant genes per isolate, such as sul2, acrA, and aac(3)-1. This study reveals the antimicrobial resistance of E. coli isolated from rodents, providing preliminary data on the prevalence and antimicrobial resistant features of these pathogens in their respective reservoirs in Iringa municipality. The study recommends observing regular antimicrobial resistance screening and improving rodent management and control programs in the studied area.

Effects of Supplemental Diet during Breeding on Fertility, Litter Size, Survival Rate, and Weaning Weight in Mice (Mus musculus).

The addition of supplemental diets to laboratory animals, specifically rodents, is a common practice for the provision of additional nutritional support. We set out to investigate whether the use of commercially available supplemental diets during breeding affected fertility rate, litter size, pup health, and pup survival. Genetically modified female breeding mice with a C57BL/6 background were divided into 3 groups (n = 16 per group) that received standard rodent chow alone or standard rodent chow with one of 2 commercially available supplemental diets: Love Mash (Bio-Serv) extruded pellet or Nutra-Gel (Bio-Serv) diet gel. Male and female mice began receiving the supplemental diet 1 wk before being paired with a partner of the same supplemental group. The mice were allowed to breed for 1 wk before separation from the male. The dams were continued on the diet until all pups were weaned. Overall, breeding dams supplemented with the Love Mash diet experienced significantly greater reproductive success rates and pup survivability compared with the standard diet control group. Dams supplemented with either of the 2 supplemental diets supported significantly larger litters compared with the standard diet control group. Furthermore, Love Mash supplemented diet groups produced significantly larger pups compared with the Nutra-Gel supplemented groups. This study demonstrates that supplemental diets given 1 wk before breeding and continued throughout gestation, parturition, and weaning significantly improved reproductive success, increased litter sizes, and supported pup health and survival.

SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance of Wild Mice and Rats in North American Cities.

From July 2020 to June 2021, 248 wild house mice (Mus musculus), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), and black rats (Rattus rattus) from Texas and Washington, USA, and British Columbia, Canada, were tested for SARS-CoV-2 exposure and infection. Two brown rats and 11 house mice were positive for neutralizing antibodies using a surrogate virus neutralization test, but negative or indeterminate with the Multiplexed Fluorometric ImmunoAssay COVID-Plex, which targets full-length spike and nuclear proteins. Oro-nasopharyngeal swabs and fecal samples tested negative by RT-qPCR, with an indeterminate fecal sample in one house mouse. Continued surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wild rodents is warranted.

Effects of silver nanoparticle and low-level laser on the immune response and healing of albino mice skin wounds

The structural integrity of the skin, which acts as a barrier to keep harmful external substances out of the body, is compromised by wounds. The process of wound healing is a multifaceted and ever-changing phenomenon that entails the replacement of bodily tissues or damaged skin. It has been demonstrated that nanoparticles, especially silver nanoparticles, have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory qualities that encourage cell migration and proliferation. Low level laser therapy has the potential to accelerate wound healing by stimulating cell regeneration after injury, reducing pain, and modulating the immune system. The aim of our study is to evaluate the healing process after treatment with silver nanoparticle and/or low level laser by measuring the serum levels of some pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL1b, IL6, and TNF-α), wound healing rate and histological analysis. Wounds were inflicted into 63 adult male albino mice (Mus musculus) and randomly divided into nine groups (7 per each). Control was left to normal healing. Other groups received a different treatment with laser, silver nanoparticle or both for 21 days. Injured skin was sampled for histopathological examination. Quantitative determination of TNFα, IL1 beta and IL6 were carried out using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) twice (day 2 and day 21). One-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis. The results showed that the groups treated with silver nanoparticles and / or low-level laser promoted wound healing by reducing pro- inflammatory cytokines (IL1β, IL6 and TNFα) and showed significantly better wound closure with a significant reduction in wound size. At day 2 histopathological changes were very similar in different groups. When silver nanoparticles were applied, either alone or in combination with laser exposure, better granulation tissue and fibrosis also necrosis in the canter of the lesion and high score of re-epithelialization with less inflammation observed gradually till day 21. The results of this study suggested that silver nanoparticles and low-level laser have a wound healing potential, since topical treatment with silver nanoparticles and low-level leasers has effectively improved the wound healing process.

Pollination by birds, non-flying mammals, and European honeybees in a heathland shrub, Banksia catoglypta (Proteaceae)

Abstract Vertebrate pollination has evolved in many plant lineages, with pollination by birds the most prevalent strategy. However, in Banksia (Proteaceae) many species are visited by a combination of nectarivorous birds, non-flying mammals (NFMs), and insects, though the relative importance of these pollen vectors for reproduction remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the contribution to fruit set of birds, NFMs, and insects in Banksia catoglypta—a heathland shrub from south-west Australia. This species flowers in winter and produces large, golden-yellow inflorescences that are typically presented near the ground and consist of rigid, strongly scented flowers with a long stigma-nectary distance—suggesting pollination by vertebrates. The primary floral visitors were white-cheeked honeyeaters (Phylidonyris niger), honey possums (Tarsipes rostratus), house mice (Mus musculus), and introduced European honeybees (Apis mellifera), all of which carried B. catoglypta pollen. Banksia catoglypta was found to be obligately outcrossing with no evidence of pollen limitation. Selective exclusion of flying pollinators revealed that inflorescences pollinated solely by NFMs produced 50% fewer fruit than open-pollinated controls. Therefore, while mammals are pollinators of B. catoglypta, they may contribute comparatively little to fruit set in some Banksia species displaying floral traits considered adaptations to NFM pollination. Exclusion of vertebrate pollinators had no effect on fruit set, demonstrating that European honeybees can be effective pollinators of some primarily vertebrate-pollinated plants.

Protective Effect of The Extract of Dayak Onions (Eleutherine palmifolia) on Sertoli and Leydig Cell Necrosis in Mice (Mus Musculus) Induced with Monosodium Glutamate

This study aims to determine the effect of the extract of Dayak onions (Eleutherine palmifolia) on the number of necrotic Sertoli and Leydig cells in mice (Mus musculus) induced with monosodium glutamate (MSG). This study involved 25 male mice aged 11 weeks and weighing approximately 20 g. The mice were divided into five groups, namely C- (0.5% CMC-Na), C+ (4 mg/g BW of MSG and 0.5% CMC-Na), T1 (4 mg/g BW of MSG and 30 mg/kg BW of Dayak onion extract), T2 (4 mg/g BW of MSG and 60 mg/kg of Dayak onion extract), and T3 (4 mg/g BW of MSG and 120 mg/kg BW of Dayak onion extract). All treatments were administered for 52 days. The mice were euthanized on day 53 of the experiment. Their testicles were removed and used to prepare histological specimens with the H&amp;E staining method. The results showed significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) in the number of necrotic Sertoli and Leydig cells between the C+ group and the T1, T2, and T3 groups with gradually decreasing values. The results suggested that the administration of the extract of Dayak onions can prevent Sertoli and Leydig cell necrosis in mice induced with MSG at an optimal dose of 120 mg/kg BW.

Effect of the Extract of Dayak Onions (Eleutherine palmifolia) on the Sperm Quality of Mice (Mus musculus) Induced with Monosodium Glutamate

This study aims to determine the effect of the extract of Dayak onions (Eleutherine palmifolia) on the motility, viability, and concentration of spermatozoa in mice (Mus musculus) induced with monosodium glutamate (MSG). This study involved 25 male mice aged 11 weeks and weighing approximately 20 g. The mice were divided into five groups, namely C- (CMC-Na 0.5%), C+ (4 mg/g BW of MSG), T1 (4 mg/g BW of MSG and 30 mg/kg BW of Dayak onion extract), T2 (4 mg/g BW of MSG and 60 mg/kg BW of Dayak onion extract), and T3 (4 mg/g BW of MSG and 120 mg/kg BW of Dayak onion extract). All treatments were administered for 52 days. The results showed no significant differences in the motility and concentration of spermatozoa between the C- (81.50 ± 4.18; 7.21 ± 0.37) and T3 (77 ± 2.74; 7.04 ± 0.13) groups (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, the results showed significant differences in the viability of spermatozoa between the C- (83.30 ± 3.40) and T3 (77.20 ± 4.06) groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that the administration of Dayak onion extracts orally to mice induced with MSG can maintain the motility, viability, and concentration of spermatozoa.

The strength of gut microbiota transfer along social networks and genealogical lineages in the house mouse.

The gut microbiota of vertebrates is acquired from the environment and other individuals, including parents and unrelated conspecifics. In the laboratory mouse, a key animal model, inter-individual interactions are severely limited and its gut microbiota is abnormal. Surprisingly, our understanding of how inter-individual transmission impacts house mouse gut microbiota is solely derived from laboratory experiments. We investigated the effects of inter-individual transmission on gut microbiota in two subspecies of house mice (Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus) raised in a semi-natural environment without social or mating restrictions. We assessed the correlation between microbiota composition (16S rRNA profiles), social contact intensity (microtransponder-based social networks), and mouse relatedness (microsatellite-based pedigrees). Inter-individual transmission had a greater impact on the lower gut (colon and caecum) than on the small intestine (ileum). In the lower gut, relatedness and social contact independently influenced microbiota similarity. Despite female-biased parental care, both parents exerted a similar influence on their offspring's microbiota, diminishing with the offspring's age in adulthood. Inter-individual transmission was more pronounced in M. m. domesticus, a subspecies, with a social and reproductive network divided into more closed modules. This suggests that the transmission magnitude depends on the social and genetic structure of the studied population.

The special adaptation to hypoxia facilitated the expansion of the Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) into Tibet but not other Rattus species.

Rattus species are thought to live only at altitudes less than 2500 m, but the Asian house rat (R. tanezumi) (RT) has recently expanded to altitudes greater than 3500 m in China. Other Rattus species, especially brown rats (R. norvegicus) (RN), still reach only low altitudes on the Tibetan Plateau. Comparative genomics revealed the positive selection of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors 1 and 2 (HIFs) in RT, with the rapid evolution of HIF pathway genes in RT and Mus musculus (MM) but not RN or R. rattus. Population genomics revealed that genes associated with energy metabolism and oxygen transport were positively selected in RT compared with the other four Rattus species, and two specific substitutions (arginine 31 serine and leucine 33 methionine) were identified in the hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB) in RT. The above results suggested that RT possesses unique genetic adaptations to hypoxia, which was further confirmed by behavioral experiments on RT and RN. Normobaric hypoxia significantly reduced locomotion in RN but not in RT. Moreover, through intraspecific transcriptome analysis, the expression of Hbb and genes related to angiogenesis, oxygen transport, and glycolysis was upregulated, and the expression of genes associated with immunological functions in the liver, lungs, and/or sperm was downregulated in RT compared to those in RN. Interspecific transcriptome analysis further revealed that HIF-1α plays a role in modulating the hypoxic adaptation of RT rather than RN. Our work provides genomic, behavioral, and physiological insights into why RT, but not other Rattus species, could invade the Tibetan Plateau.

REMEMProt: a resource of membrane-enriched proteome profiles, their disease associations, and biomarker status.

The differential expression of plasma membrane proteins is integrally analyzed for their diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic applications in diverse clinical manifestations. Necessarily, distinct membrane protein enrichment methods and mass spectrometry platforms are employed for their global and relative quantitation. First of its kind to explore, we compiled membrane-associated proteomes in human and mouse systems into a database named, Resource of Experimental Membrane-Enriched Mass spectrometry-derived Proteome (REMEMProt). It currently hosts 14,626 proteins (9,507 proteins in Homo sapiens; 5,119 proteins in Mus musculus) with information on their membrane-protein enrichment methods, experimental/physiological context of detection in cells or tissues, transmembrane domain analysis, and their current attribution as biomarkers. Based on these annotations and the transmembrane domain analysis in proteins or their binary/complex protein-protein interactors, REMEMProt facilitates the assessment of the plasma membrane localization potential of proteins through batch query. A cross-study enrichment analysis platform is enabled in REMEMProt for comparative analysis of proteomes using novel/modified membrane enrichment methods and evaluation of methods for targeted enrichment of membrane proteins. REMEMProt data are made freely accessible to explore and download at https://rememprot.ciods.in/.

Small mammals as carriers of zoonotic bacteria on pig and cattle farms – prevalence and risk of exposure in an integrative approach

To prevent foodborne infections from pigs and cattle, the whole food chain must act to minimize the contamination of products, including biosecurity measures which prevent infections via feed and the environment in production farms. Rodents and other small mammals can be reservoirs of and key vectors for transmitting zoonotic bacteria and viruses to farm animals, through direct contact but more often through environmental contamination. In line with One Health concept, we integrated results from a sampling study of small mammals in farm environments and data from a capture-recapture experiment into a probabilistic model which quantifies the degree of environmental exposure of zoonotic bacteria by small mammals to farm premises. We investigated more than 1,200 small mammals trapped in and around 38 swine and cattle farm premises in Finland in 2017/2018. Regardless of the farm type, the most common species caught were the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), and house mouse (Mus musculus). Of 554 intestine samples (each pooled from 1-10 individuals), 33% were positive for Campylobacter jejuni. Yersinia enterocolitica was detected in 8% of the pooled samples, on 21/38 farm premises. Findings of Salmonella and the Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) were rare: the pathogens were detected in only single samples from four and six farm premises, respectively. The prevalence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia and STEC in small mammal populations was estimated as 26%/13%, 1%/0%, 2%/3%, 1%/1%, respectively, in 2017/2018. The exposure probability within the experimental period of four weeks on farms was 17-60% for Campylobacter and 0-3% for Salmonella. The quantitative model is readily applicable to similar integrative studies. Our results indicate that small mammals increase the risk of exposure to zoonotic bacteria in animal production farms, thus increasing risks also for livestock and human health.

The Effectiveness of Aqueous Extract of Ginger on Some Sex Hormones and Biochemical Parameters in Female Laboratory Mice (Mus Musculus L.)

Objective: Ginger is a flowering tropical plant that commonly used as a spice and flavoring having various pharmacological properties, several phytochemical compounds which has biological activity. The main bioactive compound in ginger is gingerol, have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect will greatly affect on fertility. Also, it has an effective role in many laboratory experiments to study the physiological activities of ginger extract on these functions. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of ginger extract on some sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in female mice, also its effect on total protein, albumin and globulin Methods: Thirty adult female mice of (Mus Musculus L.) weight (22-24g) were derived into three groups one control and two treated. Ginger water extract be ready to prepare with affecting doses according to experimental test on mice (3.5 and 7 mg body weight/mice). The concentration of serum female sex hormones (FSH, LH, progesterone and estrogen) were measured. Results: Ginger water extract caused a significant increase in the level of estrogen in both doses and significant increase in the level of FSH and LH in high dose only (P less than 0.01). While progesterone level show no significant changes. On the other hand, the serum total protein, albumin and globulin shows a significant increase only in total protein and globulin levels (P less than 0.01) in turn albumin level show no significant changes in comparison to control. Conclusion: The results of this study, ginger extract could increase the level of female sex hormones (estrogen, FSH and LH) and conceder as adjunctive natural therapy for improvement of female sex hormones as well as lead to increase in total protein and globulin level which is essential for boosting the immunity.

Comparable properties of native K channels in the atrium and ventricle of snails

Mollusks, including snails, possess two chambered hearts. The heart and cardiomyocytes of snails have many similarities with those of mammals. Also, the biophysics and pharmacology of Ca, K, and Na ion channels resemble. Similar to mammals, in mollusks, the ventricular cardiomyocytes and K channels are often studied, which are selectively sensitive to antagonists such as 4-AP, E-4031, and TEA. Since the physiological properties of the ventricular cardiac cells of snails are well characterized, the enzymatically dissociated atrial cardiomyocytes of Cornu aspersum (Müller, 1774) were studied using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique for detailed comparisons with mice, Mus musculus. The incubation of tissues in a solution simultaneously containing two enzymes, collagenase and papain, enabled the isolation of single cells. Recordings in the atrial cardiomyocytes of snails revealed outward K+ currents closely resembling those of the ventricle. The latter was consistent, whether the voltage ramp or steps and long or short pulses were used. Interestingly, under identical conditions, the current waveforms of atrial cardiomyocytes in snails were similar to those of mice left ventricles, albeit the kinetics and the absence of inward rectifier K channel (IK1) activation. Therefore, the heart of mollusks could be used as a simple and accessible experimental model, particularly for pharmacology and toxicology studies.

Optimizing Spectronaut Search Parameters to Improve Data Quality with Minimal Proteome Coverage Reductions in DIA Analyses of Heterogeneous Samples.

Data-independent acquisition has seen breakthroughs that enable comprehensive proteome profiling using short gradients. As the proteome coverage continues to increase, the quality of the data generated becomes much more relevant. Using Spectronaut, we show that the default search parameters can be easily optimized to minimize the occurrence of false positives across different samples. Using an immunological infection model system to demonstrate the impact of adjusting search settings, we analyzed Mus musculus macrophages and compared their proteome to macrophages spiked withCandida albicans. This experimental system enabled the identification of "false positives" as Candida albicans peptides and proteins should not be present in the Mus musculus-only samples. We show that adjusting the search parameters reduced "false positive" identifications by 89% at the peptide and protein level, thereby considerably increasing the quality of the data. We also show that these optimized parameters incurred a moderate cost, only reducing the overall number of "true positive" identifications across each biological replicate by <6.7% at both the peptide and protein level. We believe the value of our updated search parameters extends beyond a two-organism analysis and would be of great value to any DIA experiment analyzing heterogeneous populations of cell types or tissues.

Toxicity and Teratogenic Potential of Piplartine from Piper tuberculatum Jacq. during Embryonic Development in Mice (Mus musculus)

Piplartine, also known as piperlongumine, is a natural and biologically active amide alkaloid found in various Piper species within the Piperaceae family. It possesses numerous beneficial properties that can be leveraged in the development of nanotechnological and pharmaceutical products. However, information on the effects of piplartine on mammalian embryonic development is scarce. This study aims to assess the general toxicity and teratogenic potential of piplartine during the embryonic development of mice. Pregnant mice received daily treatments of 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg of piplartine via gavage from the sixth day of gestation (implantation) to the eighteenth. On the eighteenth day, the mice were euthanized, and whole organs, blood samples (for hematological and biochemical analyses), and bone marrow cells (for DNA fragmentation and cell cycle assays) were collected. The uterus was examined for implantation sites and embryo resorptions. Additionally, fetuses were collected to assess for fetal anomalies. Piplartine did not result in maternal or embryo-fetal toxicity, induce fetal anomalies, cause hematological and biochemical alterations, or lead to DNA fragmentation. The oral administration of piplartine is safe and does not exhibit toxicity or teratogenic effects in mice. This finding opens avenues for the development of piplartine-based biotechnological products for therapeutic interventions in disease treatment.

Prevalence of Ectoparasites and Hemoparasites in Rodents and Shrews in Ilemela District, Mwanza Region, Tanzania

Background: Rodents and shrews play an important role in the transmission and spreading of zoonotic diseases in Tanzania and worldwide. Purpose: This study aims to identify ectoparasites and hemoparasites in rodents and shrews captured in Ilemela District, Mwanza Region, Tanzania. Methods: Rodents and shrews were captured using Sherman live traps and modified wire cages, both of which were placed indoors, peri-domestically, and in agricultural fields. The animals were anaesthetized using diethyl ether, and blood samples were collected aseptically from the heart. Thin and thick smears were prepared for the identification of hemoparasites. Results: The overall prevalence of ectoparasites was 56.4%, with the following ectoparasites identified: Laelaps echininus (39.6%), Polyplax spp. (4.0%), Xenopsylla cheopis (2.7%), and Heamaphysalis leachi (0.7%). The highest prevalence of ectoparasites was observed in Mastomys natalensis. In terms of sex, male animals showed a higher prevalence of ectoparasites (59.0%) than female animals. Additionally, the prevalence of hemoparasites was 35.5%, with the following parasites identified: Anaplasma spp. (18.8%), Trypanosoma lewisi (0.7%), Plasmodium spp. (1.3%), Bipolar coccobacilli (2.7%), and Bacillus spp. (3.4%). Anaplasma spp. was identified in all infested rodent species, with the highest prevalence observed in Mus musculus (34.4%) and Mastomys natalensis (27.3%). However, T. lewisi was only identified in Rattus rattus (0.7%), whereas no hemoparasites was identified in Crocidura spp. Conclusion: This study provides baseline information on the prevalence of ectoparasites and hemoparasites in rodents and shrews in Ilemela district, Mwanza Region, Tanzania. Therefore, monitoring of these parasites is important for preparedness and early warning preparation for the control of rodent-borne diseases.

DeepSub: Utilizing Deep Learning for Predicting the Number of Subunits in Homo-Oligomeric Protein Complexes.

The molecular weight (MW) of an enzyme is a critical parameter in enzyme-constrained models (ecModels). It is determined by two factors: the presence of subunits and the abundance of each subunit. Although the number of subunits (NS) can potentially be obtained from UniProt, this information is not readily available for most proteins. In this study, we addressed this gap by extracting and curating subunit information from the UniProt database to establish a robust benchmark dataset. Subsequently, we propose a novel model named DeepSub, which leverages the protein language model and Bi-directional Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), to predict NS in homo-oligomers solely based on protein sequences. DeepSub demonstrates remarkable accuracy, achieving an accuracy rate as high as 0.967, surpassing the performance of QUEEN. To validate the effectiveness of DeepSub, we performed predictions for protein homo-oligomers that have been reported in the literature but are not documented in the UniProt database. Examples include homoserine dehydrogenase from Corynebacterium glutamicum, Matrilin-4 from Mus musculus and Homo sapiens, and the Multimerins protein family from M. musculus and H. sapiens. The predicted results align closely with the reported findings in the literature, underscoring the reliability and utility of DeepSub.

Breeding by Barn Owls Tyto alba in artificial nest hollows established for an endangered black cockatoo in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia

ABSTRACT Barn Owls Tyto alba were recorded breeding in natural nest hollows in a Wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia infrequently and at low densities during the period 1969-2022. During a record cropping season in 2022, Barn Owls were first recorded nesting successfully in natural hollows and in artificial nest hollows designed for use by Carnaby’s Cockatoos. The large clutch sizes (5-7) and complete fledging success observed in three artificial nest hollows was likely facilitated by a large House Mouse Mus musculus population associated with the record cropping season experienced at the study site.