Mus Musculus Linnaeus Research Articles

The Potential of Donkey’s Ear Abalone (Haliotis asinina Linnaeus, 1758) as an Antibacterial Agent and Its Effect on Blood Cholesterol Reduction in Mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758)

The Potential of Donkey’s Ear Abalone (Haliotis asinina Linnaeus, 1758) as an Antibacterial Agent and Its Effect on Blood Cholesterol Reduction in Mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758)

Effectiveness test of Diploknema oligomera extracts to the decrease in glucose levels in alloxan-induced BALB/c male mice

Abstract. Faizah S, Eriani K, Rosnizar. 2023. Effectiveness test of Diploknema oligomera extracts to the decrease in glucose levels in alloxan-induced BALB/c male mice. Nusantara Bioscience 15: 143-148. People with diabetes mellitus usually consume chemical drugs to lower their blood glucose levels which cause side effects and require a reasonably high cost. Therefore, alternative natural medicines (phytopharmaceuticals) that are safer and more affordable are needed. Punti fruit (Diploknema oligomera H.J Lam) has the potential as an antihyperglycemic agent that can lower glucose levels in the blood because the punti fruit contains flavonoid compounds, tannins, terpenoids, and saponins. These secondary metabolites can reduce blood glucose levels. This research used an experimental method with a completely randomized design, six treatments, and four replications. This study used 24 BALB/C (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758) male mice grouped into six treatments, namely normal control treatment (P1), negative control by giving alloxan 150 mg/kg bw (P2), positive control by giving glibenclamide dose of 0.65 mg/kg body weight (bw) (P3), ethanol extract of punti fruit dose of 250 mg/kg bw (P4), ethanol extract of punti fruit dose of 500 mg/kg body weight (P5) and ethanol extract of punti fruit dose of 1,000 mg/kg bw (P6). The results proved that administering punti extract (P3, P4, P5) for 14 could reduce blood glucose levels in male diabetic mice with a percentage reduction of 33.6%, 37.4%, and 52.7%, and treatment-positive control decreased blood glucose by 32.6%. The conclusion showed that the ethanol extract of punti fruit at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg bw could effectively reduce blood glucose levels in diabetic mice compared to a dose of 250 mg/kg bw, 500 mg/kg bw and 0.65 mg/kg glibenclamide kg bw. Therefore, punti fruit can be used as a drug candidate to be developed as phytopharmaceuticals in treating diabetes mellitus.

Histopathological Changes in the Liver and Spleen of Albino Mouse, Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 Experimentally Infected with the Hydatid Cyst of Echinococcus granulosus (Batsch, 1786) and Its Treatments with Oxfendazole

The present study was conducted as an attempt to chemically treat secondary hydatid cyst disease in the Albino mouse Mus musculus strain Balb/c. Oxfendazole (OFZ) was used at a concentration of 30 mg/kg, and the histopathological changes in the liver and spleen were examined. The efficiency of the drug was observed compared to the positive untreated control group. However, some histopathological changes were noticed in liver and spleen of the OFZ-treated mice.

FIRST RECORD OF TWO NEW PET-ASSOCIATED PARASITIC MITES (ACARI MESOSTIGMATA LAELAPIDAE AND MACRONYSSIDAE) FROM HUNGARY

During the investigation of the terrariums of snake pets, two species are reported for the first time from Hungary. Females of Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais, 1844) were collected from the body of a Boa sp. (Reptilia:Boidae), and females of Hirstionyssus butantanensis (Fonseca, 1932) were found on body of the new-born mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus) (Rodentia: Muridae) which were used as food of reptiles. Key Words: parasitic mites, terrarium, new records, Hungary.

Effect of palm sap (Arenga pinnata) on blood glucose levels of mice (Mus musculus) alloxan-induced diabetic

Abstract. Liputo SM, Lamondo D, Solang M. 2021. Effect of palm sap (Arenga pinnata) on blood glucose levels of mice (Mus musculus) alloxan-induced diabetic. Asian J Nat Prod Biochem 20: 11-15. This study aims to determine the effect of palm sap (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.) in reducing blood glucose levels in alloxan-induced diabetic mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758). Twenty-five mice aged 2-3 months were grouped into a negative control group, a positive control group and a palm sap group (0.2 mL, 0.4 mL, and 0.6 mL). The result showed that the palm sap with a dose of 0.4 mL was the most significant in reducing blood glucose levels. This study concluded that the administration of palm sap affected decreasing blood glucose levels (p <0.05).

Additional Records of Small Mammals Collected from Nepal

Small mammals were surveyed in areas of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Shey Phoksundo National Park, and the Manaslu Conservation Area between 2013 and 2015. We collected 117 specimens representing 10 species of small mammals from two orders, Soricomorpha and Rodentia. We report on localities sampled from Central Nepal expanding known distributions and reporting new sampling localities for Apodemus gurkha Thomas, 1924; Apodemus pallipes (Barrett-Hamilton, 1900); Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758; Niviventer fulvescens (Gray, 1847); Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758); Rattus pyctoris (Hodgson, 1845); Rattus nitidus (Hodgson, 1845); and Soriculus nigrescens (Gray, 1842). Specimens collected from the Manaslu Conservation Area, which had not been previously surveyed, documented the occurrence of four species between previously known collection localities in the Kali Gandaki Valley and the Langtang and Khumbu valleys. Distribution records of Episoriculus soluensis Gruber, 1969 in Nepal are clarified for this recently recognized species.

Determining Role of TGF-β3 in Some Treatments of Albino Mouse, Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 Infected with Hydatid Cyst by Using an Immunohistoflourescent Staining Technique

The present study was conducted as an attempt to treat secondary hydatid disease in white mice strain Balb/c by immunohistoflourescent (IHF) staining technique. For this purpose, the mice were infected with hydatid cysts and treatment was done by oxfendazole (OFZ) at a concentration of 30 mg/kg, praziquantel (PZQ) at a concentration of 40 mg/kg and albendazole (ABZ) at a concentration of 10 mg/kg of body weight. Each drug was given weekly for four months and the same concentrations as above. The results showed that the highest treatment efficiency was in case of OFZ + PZQ treated mice, while the groups treated with OFZ, OFZ + ABZ and ABZ + PZQ showed less treatment efficiency, respectively. The IHF staining technique was used to determine the cytokinesis of TGF-β3 in the spleen and liver of experimental mice. For this reason, OFZ is considered as one of the most promising chemotherapies used in the treatment of hydatid cysts.

Mice of the genus Mus in the Crimea: species diagnostics, distribution, and ecology

The paper presents the first detailed summary of the current state of mice of the genus Mus in the Crimea, namely of the house mouse (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758) and steppe mouse (Mus spicilegus Petenyi, 1882). Morphological structures of the house mouse and steppe mouse are characterized and external and craniometrical features important for species diagnostics are presented. Most of the morphological characters tend to vary within the entire geographic range of both species. Body length of house mice is significantly greater compared to that of steppe mice. Tail length in house mice is greater than in steppe mice, but the tail index is greater in the latter. Therefore, house mice look more ‘short-tailed’, and this feature can be used as an additional diagnostic character. In steppe mice, the tail becomes thinner gradually from base to tip and thus it is awl-shaped. The tail of fit house mice, especially of autumn-winter generations, often has a thickened base, which increases the visual effect of a short tail. Among internal characters, the most significant are the differences between testicles size of mature males. For species diagnostics of mice of the genus Mus, the size and shape of the following cranial structures can be used: location of the root and frontal wall of the crown of the first upper molar (M1) in relation to the diastema; zygomatic process of the maxilla and zygomatic arch; palatine foramens foramina palatinum, and others. These are reliable characters for morphological identification of M. musculus and M. spicilegus in the territory of the Crimea, in the zone of their sympatry. Reliable diagnostic characters are the dimensions of palatine foramens. In general, the entire complex of characters analysed in this study should be used for correct morphological diagnostics of these species. Features of distribution and population dynamics of the house mouse and steppe mouse in the Crimea are studied. It has been revealed that both the house mouse and the steppe mouse are distributed mainly in the lowland part of the Crimea and the forest-steppe belt of the foothills. Data on the ecology of species are presented, including specifics of reproduction and habitat preferences. The place and role of house mice in small-mammal assemblages of various landscape and ecological zones are estimated.

Colaboración científica con la Armada de Chile en estudios ornitológicos a largo plazo en el archipiélago Diego Ramírez: Primer monitoreo del ciclo anual del ensamble de aves en la isla Gonzalo

Biocultural conservation increasingly requires transdisciplinary collaborations, which includes different disciplines, institutions and actors. The collaboration between scientists and the Chilean Navy has been an effective way to address this requirement. This inter-institutional collaboration between the Navy and the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program (University of Magallanes, Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity and Omora Foundation in Chile, and the University of North Texas in the US) enabled us to initiate in 2016 long-term ornithological studies in the Diego Ramirez archipelago, which includes the southernmost islands of the American continent. Until now, its avifauna has been studied exclusively during summer seasons, despite the fact that birds are one of the most sensitive and fastest responding groups of animals to climate change; modifying their periods of migration, residence and nesting, their population sizes, and their latitudinal distribution areas. In addition, subpolar regions are especially sensitive to climate change and studies in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, adjacent to the Diego Ramirez archipelago, suggest that some species could be expanding their latitudinal distribution spheres and changing their migration dates. The objective of this work is to initiate a systematic monitoring of the species composition and the nesting, migration and/or residence dates of the Diego Ramirez archipelago birdlife at the southern tip of the Magallanes sub-Antarctic ecoregion. In this study we present an update of the avifauna records for the Gonzalo Island, Diego Ramirez Archipelago, including the first fall and winter records, and sightings at other times of year. In three expeditions, during the austral reproductive season (spring-summer, November 29-December 1, 2016), winter (July 20-22, 2017) and fall (March 28-April 1, 2018), birds were monitored using mist-nets and creating species lists from field observations. For the observations of birds throughout the year, we used the photographic records made by Jose Mella (coauthor) and Jose Mejia (Navy petty officers at Gonzalo Island Lighthouse, years 2014-2018), and new photographic records were initiated with trained personnel of the Navy of Chile in the lighthouse of Gonzalo Island. Nine of these species represent new records for the archipelago: Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus Gmelin, 1789), Western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758)), Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771), Austral negrito (Lessonia rufa Gmelin, 1789), Austral thrush (Turdus falcklandii Quoy & Gaimard, 1824), Rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis Muller, 1776), Black-chinned siskin (Spinus barbatus Molina, 1782), Blue-and-White Swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca patagonica D’Orbigni & Lafresnaye, 1837) and Black-bellied storm petrel (Fregetta tropica Gould, 1844). Some of these new records could be associated with global warming and a recent expansion of the latitudinal distribution areas and/or the residence periods of these birds. Among the 33 species, 26 were recorded in spring-summer, 22 in fall, and 14 in winter. However, nine were sighted only occasionally and it will be necessary in the future to determine whether they are resident species that are seldom observed, or occasional visitors. Regarding conservation status, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the avifauna of the Diego Ramirez Archipelago includes an endangered species (Grey-headed albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma Forster, 1785), three vulnerable species and four almost threatened. Monitoring on these islands provides a baseline to evaluate the status of bird populations under the threats of global change, among which the threat of invasive species is highlighted. It is critical to prevent the arrival of rats (Rattus spp.), mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758), cats (Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758), and American mink (Neovison vison Schreber, 1777), which are present in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, located less than 100 km north of the Diego Ramirez archipelago . The collaborative work with the Chilean Navy has been crucial to start these long-term ornithological studies, associated with the new Long Term Socio-Ecological Studies Site Gonzalo Island-LTSER that forms part of the Chilean Long-Term Socio-Ecological Studies Network (LTSER-Chile), and the International Long-Term Ecological Studies Network (ILTER). A main goal will be to combine avifauna monitoring with detection of potential invasive species

The house mouse (Mus musculus) in small farmstead buildings in Slovakia

A total of 297 individuals of indoor Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 were trapped in two villages (Duplin and Potoky) in north-eastern Slovakia during 2015–2017 from small private farmstead buildings, i.e. in breeding yards with poultry, pigs and pigeons. Analysis of the demographic structure of the mouse populations showed that the sex ratio did not deviate from a 1:1 ratio. The prevalence of adult mice was significantly higher than of subadults, and this was particularly noticeable in females. The season did not affect the litter size (mean ± SD = 4.9 ± 1.5, with 2–8 embryos) in mice, and winter breeding was confirmed. Results from our microbiological analysis showed that the house mouse populations inhabiting small farmstead buildings could be important reservoirs of potentially pathogenic and multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Evagination of metacestodes of the WFU strain of Taenia crassiceps and evaluation of the impact of immune suppression of hamsters during tapeworm development.

Taeniosis-cysticercosis caused by Taenia crassiceps (Zeder, 1800) is a useful experimental model for biomedical research, in substitution of Taenia solium Linnaeus, 1758, studied during decades to develop effective vaccination, novel anti-helminthic drugs and diagnostic tools. Cysticercosis in mouse (Mus musculus Linnaeus) is achieved by the larval subculturing of the Wake Forest University (WFU) strain of T. crassiceps. Golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus (Waterhouse), has been shown to be the most suitable host for adult forms of parasite in experimental taeniosis. Metacestodes of T. crassiceps WFU multiply by budding without restrictions once inoculated into the mouse, while the number of tapeworms developed from these larvae in hamsters remains highly variable. Three objectives have been proposed to improve the infection of T. crassiceps WFU in hamsters: (1) to re-evaluate the need of immune suppression; (2) to investigate the advantage of infecting hamsters with metacestodes with in vitro protruded scolices; and (3) to compare a number of tapeworms developed from metacestodes subcultured in hamsters against those proliferated in mice. Our results demonstrated that when the evagination of murine metacestodes was high, the number of T. crassiceps WFU adults obtained from hamsters was also high. Immunosuppressive treatment remains relevant for this experimental rodent model. The hamster-to-hamster cysticercosis-taeniosis by T. crassiceps overcame the mouse-to-hamster model in the yield of adult specimens. In vitro scolex evagination and metacestode asexual proliferation in hamsters place this rodent model by T. crassiceps WFU as the most affordable experimental models with taeniids.

A study of insect succession of forensic importance: Dipteran flies (diptera) in two different habitats of small rodents in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

This study focused on comparing between dipteran fauna recovered from small mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758) and albino rat (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769) carcasses placed in different habitats (a botanical garden and on a over the roof of 3rd floor of the faculty of science‘s building in the university campus). It was conducted during winter 2018 in Al-Dir'iya, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Collected specimens were identified morphologically and by molecular techniques based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The number of flies recovered from the different decomposition stages of rat and mice carcasses at the two study sites was 5244, representing 11 families and 14 species. A tota nol of 4665 flies, comprising 11 families and 14 species, invaded carcasses located in the botanical garden, compared to the carcasses placed on the rooftop, which attracted 579 flies from 6 families and 9 species. The most abundant species recovered from both sites was Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1830), followed by Musca domestica (Linnaeus, 1758), suggesting that these species are the most valuable for estimating Post Mortem intervals (PMIs) in this region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data collected from this research can serve as the baseline data for homicide investigation as these flies can help determine PMI.

Ectoparasites burden of House mouse (Mus musculus linnaeus, 1758) from Hai'l region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The House mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758), play an important role in the transmission of diseases, both in humans and livestock, through ectoparasite carried on their feces, urine and hair remnants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ectoparasites infestation, as well as their quantitative and qualitative abundance and, prevalence in the house mice captured from Hai’l region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Parasitological investigations were performed on 70 house mice trapped during 2012–2013 from two localities (Hai’l City residential area and Al-Khitah agricultural farm habitats in Hai’l region). Captured mice were identified as males (34.3% and 48.6%) and females (65.7% and 51.4%) from the residential and agricultural farm habitats, respectively. The findings of the study showed that the sex ratio of the mice found in different habitats did not influence the level of ectoparasite infestation (P > 0.05). Therefore, we combined only sex-wise samples for each habitat and isolated habitats treated separately for our subsequent analyses. A total of 514 ectoparasites individuals belong to four species were recovered from the mice, which included 339 of flea (Xenopsylla cheopis Rothschild, 1903), 39 of sucking lice (Polyplax spinulosa Burmeister, 1835), 37 of sucking lice Polyplax serrata Burmeister, 1839), and 99 of mite species (Laelaps echidninus Berlese, 1887).The presence of zoonotic parasites indicates that Mus musculus as a reservoir, might represent a danger to the public health particularly in the two sampled areas. Results also suggest an increasingly need for further studies to assess the role of the ectoparasites of house mice and their possible involvment in transmission of diseases among these areas.

Phytochemical and toxicological evaluation of a blend of essential oils of Croton species on Aedes aegypti and Mus musculus

New control alternatives to chemical insecticides, such as botanical essential oils, are important to reduce the population of mosquito vectors. In addition, the use of these oils as insecticides should be safe for mammals. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the insecticidal activity of a blend of essential oils from the leaves of Croton argyrophyllus Kunth. and Croton tetradenius Baill. on Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762, as well as to evaluate its acute toxicity in Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758, and to analyze the chemical composition of this blend. The blend was prepared from a combination of these essential oils in the proportion of 1:1 (m/m). Larvae and adults of Ae. aegypti were used for insecticidal evaluation. In the acute toxicity analysis, the essential oil blend was administered intraperitoneally and orally to M. musculus. Gas chromatography together with mass spectrometry was used for chemical evaluation. The blend presented insecticidal properties, with an additive effect on larvicidal activity (LC50=0.16 mg mL-1) and a synergistic effect on adulticidal activity (LC50=0.75 mg mL-1). When administered intraperitoneally to mice, the blend displayed intermediate acute toxicity (LD50=500 mg kg-1), and no toxicity was observed after oral administration (LD50=2500 mg kg-1). Camphor (15.9%), isopinocampheol (12.1%), and (E)-caryophyllene (9.5%) were the main components of this blend. Thus, the blend of essential oils of C. argyrophyllus and C. tetradenius has insecticidal properties against Ae. aegypti and is also safe for mammals, relevant characteristics for the formulation of botanical insecticides.

Genetic Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from Wild Rodents in Sichuan Province, Southwestern China

Wild rodents are the intermediate hosts of Toxoplasma gondii. The distribution of genetic diversity of T. gondii in wild rodents is of importance to understand the transmission of this parasite. This study aimed to genetically characterize T. gondii isolates from wild rodents in Sichuan province, southwestern China in 2013. Genomic DNA was extracted from 10 g wild rodents' brain samples. Semi-nested PCR and multilocous PCR-RFLP technology were performed to examine genetic diversity of T. gondii isolates as described previously. Overall, 181 brain tissues of different wild rodents, including Eothenomys miletus (n=88), Crocidura attenuate (n=9), Rattus rattus sladeni (n=46), Mus musculus Linnaeus (n=6) and R. niviventer (n=32) were tested for T. gondii DNA, respectively. Six of them were positive for the T. gondii B1 gene by semi-nested PCR amplification, 4 showed complete genotyping results for all 11 polymorphic loci (SAG1, SAG2, alt. SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, C22-8, C29-2 and Apico) by PCR-RFLP, determined to represent a potential new genotype (http://toxodb.org/toxo/). These results documented genetic characterization of T. gondii in wild rodents from Sichuan province, and enriched the genetic diversity of T. gondii in China.

Are baculum size and allometry a response to post-copulatory sexual selection in promiscuous males of the house mouse?

Great genital variation occurs across animal species, likely reflecting the operation of sexual selection. We quantified bacular, testicular, and vesicular size, variation, and allometry in house mice (Laurentii in: Mus musculus Linnaeus, Systema naturae 10th ed, Salvii, Stockholm, 1758) from the western Carpathians (Slovakia). We investigated whether baculum size is related to size of reproductive organs (testicular length and width, and vesicular length), and with body size (head-and-body length), which is not directly involved in reproduction. The corrected coefficient of variation (CV’) for all bacular, testicular, and vesicular traits was significantly higher than non-sexual somatic traits. The negative allometry and weak relationship between baculum size and head-and-body length obtained in presented study (OLS regression) suggest that the Mus musculus baculum is under stabilizing selection. We also assumed that penile width as related to bacular thickness could be a reliable indicator of quality during copulation.

An unexpected finding of mammal mites (Psoroptidia: Sarcoptoidea) on a bird

The psoroptidian mite Myocoptes musculinus (Koch, 1844) is the most common species of the family Myocoptidae (Sarcoptoidea), along with its main host, the house mouse Mus musculus Linnaeus. The present article reports the first recorded confirmation of M. musculinus on a bird - the tropical screech-owl Megascops choliba (Vieillot). Finding myocoptid mites on a non-rodent host is an additional case of predator-prey contamination.

Structure of parasite communities in urban environments: the case of helminths in synanthropic rodents.

Identifying patterns with sufficient predictive power is a constant challenge for ecologists to address ecological problems related to species conservation, pollution or infectious disease control. During the last years, the amounts of parasitological studies in this sense increased, but they are still scarce in urban environments. The main aim of this study was to investigate if the helminth communities of urban rodents are structured within host assembly (compound community) or they are a result of random events occurring at each individual host scale (infracommunity). A total of 203 rodents belonging to four species, Rattus rattus (Linnaeus), Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout), Mus musculus Linnaeus and the native Oligoryzomys flavescens (Waterhouse) and captured in different landscape units of the City of Buenos Aires (industrial-residential neighbourhoods, shantytowns and parklands) were analysed. The results showed that infracommunities could be grouped according to composition and relative abundances and that they respond to the structure of the host community. Thus, the component communities defined in this study could be identified as subsets of the compound community (rodent assemblage) and infracommunities (each host) as random samples within each one. Quantitative differences among component communities were denoted by comparing the infection levels of helminths described as central species. Therefore, infracommunities of R. norvegicus and O. flavescens were the most predictable because of the high abundance of the nematodes Heterakis spumosa Schneider, 1866 and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Travassos, 1914), and Stilestrongylus flavescens (Sutton et Durette-Desset, 1991), respectively. Several mechanisms contribute to complexity of the structure of parasite communities, where specific parasites, definitive and intermediate hosts, and environmental and anthropogenic factors all play a role in the dynamics of the compound community.

Impact of field-edge habitat on mammalian wildlife abundance, distribution, and vectored foodborne pathogens in adjacent crops

Field-edge habitat is important for enhancing biodiversity and associated ecosystem services on farms for long term agricultural sustainability. However, there is some concern that this habitat will increase wildlife activity and damage to adjacent crops. Wildlife incursion into production areas may also pose food safety risks. A two-year study in walnut orchards and processing tomato fields in the Sacramento Valley, California, documented variable use of farm fields by mammalian wildlife. This depended on field-edge habitat (restored hedgerows versus conventionally managed field edges where vegetation was mostly controlled), wildlife species present, season, and crop monitored. In walnut orchards, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus Wagner, 1845) were found throughout the orchard, while house mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758) exclusively used hedgerows. In tomato fields, deer mice were more common in field interiors during spring, but used field-edge habitats more during summer; the opposite was true for house mice. In general, deer mice preferred more open sites, while house mice were most numerous in areas with thick cover. Both desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii Baird, 1858) and black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus Gray, 1837) showed affinity to hedgerow portions of fields, although this association was stronger for cottontails. Overall, we documented greater mammalian species richness and abundance associated with hedgerows. However, this increase in diversity did not generally lead to greater wildlife incursion into adjacent crops. In walnut orchards, Salmonella and non-O157 STEC were detected from 2 (1%) and 4 (2%) individual rodents, respectively (n = 218); no detections occurred in tomato fields. A subset of fecal samples (n = 87) from rodents captured in walnut orchards were positive for Giardia (25%) and Cryptosporidium (24%) but prevalence was not associated with field-edge habitat type. Overall, there does not appear to be a substantially greater risk of crop loss or contamination of foodborne pathogens in crops bordered by hedgerows in our study in the Sacramento Valley, although potential damage could vary by the stage and type of crop and wildlife species present.

Advances in cytogenetics of Brazilian rodents: cytotaxonomy, chromosome evolution and new karyotypic data.

Rodents constitute one of the most diversified mammalian orders. Due to the morphological similarity in many of the groups, their taxonomy is controversial. Karyotype information proved to be an important tool for distinguishing some species because some of them are species-specific. Additionally, rodents can be an excellent model for chromosome evolution studies since many rearrangements have been described in this group.This work brings a review of cytogenetic data of Brazilian rodents, with information about diploid and fundamental numbers, polymorphisms, and geographical distribution. We point out that, even with the recent efforts on cytogenetic studies in this group, many species lack karyotypic data. Moreover, we describe for the first time the karyotype of Carterodon sulcidens (Lund, 1838) (Family Echimyidae), a new fundamental number for an undescribed species of Neacomys Thomas, 1900 (Family Cricetidae, Subfamily Sigmodontinae), and illustrate the karyotype of a Brazilian specimen of Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 (Family Muridae). This review compiles the cytogenetic data on Brazilian rodents reported in the last three decades, after the last revision published in 1984, including synonyms, chromosomal variations, and geographic distribution. Additionally, it also reinforces that Brazilian biodiversity is still poorly known, considering the new data reported here.