School of Science, Engineering & Environment

Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale. (2019)
Journal Article
Goertz, S., de Menezes, A., Birtles, R., Fenn, J., Lowe, A., MacColl, A., …Taylor, C. (2019). Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale. PLoS ONE, 14(9), e0222501. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222501

The composition of the mammalian gut microbiota can be influenced by a multitude of environmental variables such as diet and infections. Studies investigating the effect of these variables on gut microbiota composition often sample across multiple se... Read More about Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale..

Landscape structure affects the prevalence and distribution of a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen (2018)
Journal Article
Millins, C., Dickinson, E., Isakovic, P., Gilbert, L., Wojciechowska, A., Paterson, V., …Biek, R. (2018). Landscape structure affects the prevalence and distribution of a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen. Parasites and Vectors, 11(2018), 621. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3200-2

Background Landscape structure can affect pathogen prevalence and persistence with consequences for human and animal health. Few studies have examined how reservoir host species traits may interact with landscape structure to alter pathogen communi... Read More about Landscape structure affects the prevalence and distribution of a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen.

Investigation into the genetic diversity in toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in the European badger Meles meles (2018)
Journal Article
Whiteoak, A., Ideozu, J., Alkathiry, H., Tomlinson, A., Delahay, R., Cowen, S., …Hide, G. (2018). Investigation into the genetic diversity in toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in the European badger Meles meles. Research in Veterinary Science, 119, 228-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2018.06.020

The Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes are a conserved family of genes central to the innate immune response to pathogen infection. They encode receptor proteins, recognise pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and trigger initial immune respons... Read More about Investigation into the genetic diversity in toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in the European badger Meles meles.

Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent (2018)
Journal Article
Taylor, C., Wanelik, K., Friberg, I., Lowe, A., Hall, A., Ralli, C., …Bradley, J. (2018). Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent. International Journal for Parasitology, 48(6), 463-471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.11.006

In contrast to the conditions in most laboratory studies, wild animals are routinely challenged by multiple infections at once, and these infections can interact in complex ways. This means that the impact of a parasite on its host’s physiology and f... Read More about Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent.

A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis) (2017)
Journal Article
Wanelik, K., Begon, M., Birtles, R., Bradley, J., Friberg, I., Jackson, J., …Paterson, S. (2017). A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis). Molecular Ecology, 27(4), 1044-1052. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14476

The animal immune response has hitherto been viewed primarily in the context of resistance only. However, individuals, can also employ a tolerance strategy to maintain good health in the face of on-going infection. To shed light on the genetic and ph... Read More about A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis).

From the animal house to the field : are there consistent individual differences in immunological profile in wild populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis)? (2017)
Journal Article
Arriero, E., Wanelik, K., Birtles, R., Bradley, J., Jackson, J., Paterson, S., & Begon, M. (2017). From the animal house to the field : are there consistent individual differences in immunological profile in wild populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis)?. PLoS ONE, 12(8), e0183450. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183450

Inbred mouse strains, living in simple laboratory environments far removed from nature, have been shown to vary consistently in their immune response. However, wildlife populations are typically outbreeding and face a multiplicity of challenges, para... Read More about From the animal house to the field : are there consistent individual differences in immunological profile in wild populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis)?.

Use of mass-participation outdoor events to assess human exposure to tickborne pathogens (2017)
Journal Article
Hall, J., Alpers, K., Bown, K., Martin, S., & Birtles, R. (2017). Use of mass-participation outdoor events to assess human exposure to tickborne pathogens. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 23(3), 463-467. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2303.161397

Mapping the public health threat of tickborne pathogens requires quantification of not only the density of infected host-seeking ticks but also the rate of human exposure to these ticks. To efficiently sample a high number of persons in a short time,... Read More about Use of mass-participation outdoor events to assess human exposure to tickborne pathogens.

Detection of Hepatozoon felis in Ticks Collected from Free-Ranging Amur Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), Russian Far East, 2002–12 (2016)
Journal Article
Thomas, L., Seryodkin, I., Goodrich, J., Miquelle, D., Birtles, R., & Lewis, J. (2016). Detection of Hepatozoon felis in Ticks Collected from Free-Ranging Amur Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), Russian Far East, 2002–12. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 52, 674-676. https://doi.org/10.7589/2015-10-277

We collected 69 ticks from nine, free-ranging Amur tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica) between 2002 and 2011 and investigated them for tick-borne pathogens. DNA was extracted using alkaline digestion and PCR was performed to detect apicomplexan organis... Read More about Detection of Hepatozoon felis in Ticks Collected from Free-Ranging Amur Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), Russian Far East, 2002–12.

Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic treponemes isolated from cloven-hoofed animals and comparison to treponemes isolated from humans (2016)
Journal Article
Clegg, S., Carter, S., Birtles, R., Brown, J., Hart, C., & Evans, N. (2016). Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic treponemes isolated from cloven-hoofed animals and comparison to treponemes isolated from humans. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82, 4523-4536. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00025-16

Treponema species are implicated in many diseases of humans and animals. Digital dermatitis (DD) treponemes are reported to cause severe lesions in cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, and wild elk, causing substantial global animal welfare issues and economi... Read More about Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic treponemes isolated from cloven-hoofed animals and comparison to treponemes isolated from humans.

Outputs (38)