The Common Shrew (Sorex araneus): A neglected host of tick-borne infections?

Bown, K; Lambin, X; Telford, G; Heyder-Bruckner, D; Ogden, NH; Birtles, RJ

Abstract

Although the importance of rodents as reservoirs for a number of tick-borne infections is well established,
comparatively little is known about the potential role of shrews, despite them occupying similar habitats. To
address this, blood and tick samples were collected from common shrews (Sorex araneus) and field voles
(Microtus agrestis), a known reservoir of various tick-borne infections, from sites located within a plantation
forest in northern England over a 2-year period. Of 647 blood samples collected from shrews, 121 (18.7%)
showed evidence of infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and 196 (30.3%) with Babesia microti. By comparison,
of 1505 blood samples from field voles, 96 (6.4%) were positive for A. phagocytophilum and 458 (30.4%)
for Ba. microti. Both species were infested with the ticks Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes trianguliceps, although they had
different burdens: on average, shrews carried almost six times as many I. trianguliceps larvae, more than twice as
many I. ricinus larvae, and over twice as many nymphs (both tick species combined). The finding that the
nymphs collected from shrews were almost exclusively I. trianguliceps highlights that this species is the key
vector of these infections in this small mammal community. These findings suggest that common shrews are a
reservoir of tick-borne infections and that the role of shrews in the ecology and epidemiology of tick-borne
infections elsewhere needs to be comprehensively investigated.

Citation

Bown, K., Lambin, X., Telford, G., Heyder-Bruckner, D., Ogden, N., & Birtles, R. (2011). The Common Shrew (Sorex araneus): A neglected host of tick-borne infections?. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 11(7), 947-953. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2010.0185

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Dec 22, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
• Print ISSN: 1530-3667
• Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 947-953
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2010.0185
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2010.0185