Long-term trends in helminth infections of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) from the vicinity of Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire, England

Behnke, JM; Rogan, MT; Craig, PS; Jackson, JA; Hide, G

Abstract

Helminth infections in wood mice (n=483), trapped over a period of 26 years in the woods
surrounding Malham Tarn in N. Yorkshire, were analysed. Although ten species of helminths
were identified, the overall mean species richness was 1.01 species/mouse indicating that the
helminth community was relatively depauperate in this wood mouse population. The
dominant species was Heligmosomoides polygyrus, the prevalence (64.6%) and abundance
(10.4 worms/mouse) of which declined significantly over the study period. Because of the
dominance of this species, analyses of higher taxa (combined helminths and combined
nematodes) also revealed significantly declining values for prevalence, although not
abundance. Helminth species richness and Brillouin’s index of diversity did not show
covariance with year, neither did those remaining species whose overall prevalence exceeded
5% (Syphacia stroma, Aonchotheca murissylvatici and Plagiorchis muris). Significant age
effects were detected for prevalence and abundance of all higher taxa, H. polygyrus and P.
muris, and for helminth species richness and Brillouin’s index of diversity, reflecting the
accumulation of helminths with increasing host age. Only two cases of sex bias were found;
male bias in abundance of P. muris and combined Digenea. We discuss the significance of
these results and hypothesise about the underlying causes.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 24, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Dec 1, 2020
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Dec 15, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 1, 2021
• Journal: Parasitology
• Print ISSN: 0031-1820
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-8161
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Volume: 184
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 451-463
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182020002243
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182020002243
• Related Public URLs: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=PAR
• Additional Information: Additional Information : ** From PubMed via Jisc Publications Router **Journal IDs: eissn 1469-8161 **Article IDs: pubmed: 33256865; pii: S0031182020002243 **History: published 01-12-2020