Michal Stanko

• Slovak Academy of Sciences

We investigated the contributions of female and male hosts to the structure of individual-based host-parasite networks, using 21 species of small mammals from two regions (West Siberia and eastern Slovakia) and two taxa of ectoparasitic arthropods (fleas and gamasid mites). We asked whether (a) the values of individual host position indices (indivi...

We examined the morphological variation in the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) along south–north and west–east geographic gradients in Europe (Slovakia, Lithuania, and Estonia). Data collected over several decades (1980s–2020s) were analyzed, focusing on five traits: body mass, body length, tail length, hind foot length, and ear length, wit...

Introduction In Europe, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis is transmitted by the castor bean tick, Ixodes ricinus. In the last decades, global changes affect the spread of ticks and also their bionomics. The aim of this study was summarization of a large dataset obtained during 20 years of research. Met...

The functional diversity structure of a community can be represented as a combination of three additive components (species dominance D, functional redundancy R, and functional diversity Q) (DRQ approach in which different facets of functional differences between species are considered simultaneously). We applied this concept to assemblages of flea...

Rodents and insectivores are significant reservoirs of many zoonotic pathogens, contributing to the transmission of diseases affecting human and animal health. This study investigated the prevalence and diversity of vector-borne pathogens in small mammals within the High Tatras region of Slovakia, an area with substantial recreational activity and...

We applied a novel framework based on network theory and a concept of modularity that estimates congruence between trait-based ( = functional) co-occurrence networks, thus allowing the inference of co-occurrence patterns and the determination of the predominant mechanism of community assembly. The aim was to investigate the relationships between sp...

The hepatic nematode Calodium hepaticum is a zoonotic parasite primarily parasitising small mammals, but it can infect a wide range of mammal species, including humans. Due to its specific life cycle and transmission pattern, it is one of the least studied helminths in the world. The only documented findings of C. hepaticum from Slovakia (former Cz...

Ticks are ectoparasites of a wide range of animals and are important vectors of numerous pathogens affecting humans, livestock, and pets. This study investigates possible correlations between selected factors, altitude, soil pH, and a factor called ‘amount’ (number of ticks examined in pooled samples) on the occurrence of I. ricinus ticks positive...

We inferred the patterns of co‐occurrence of flea species in compound (across all host species) and component (across conspecific hosts) communities from six regions of the world (Mongolia, Northwest Argentina, Argentinian Patagonia, West Siberia, Slovakia, and South Africa) using the novel eigenvector ellipsoid method. This method allows us to inf...

Ticks are involved in the transmission a plethora of pathogens. To effectively control ticks and mitigate the risks associated with tick-borne diseases, it is important to implement tick control measures. These may include the use of acaricides as well as the development and implementation of an alternative, environmentally friendly tick management...

This study summarizes 17-year results of teriological research of small mammal fauna in Košice Zoo (near the village of Kavečany, 48°47’10.04”N, 21°12’3.26”E, 380 – 420 m a.s.l.). The small mammals evaluated in this study were obtained by trapping in three periods (1992 – 1994, 2000 – 2001, 2003 – 2004) and were the results of three diploma theses...

This study summarizes 17-year results of teriological research of small mammal fauna in Košice Zoo (near the village of Kavečany, 48°47'10.04"N, 21°12'3.26"E, 380-420 m a.s.l.). The small mammals evaluated in this study were obtained by trapping in three periods () and were the results of three diploma theses. In total, 688 small mammals belonging...

Simple Summary Studies on the ectoparasites of insectivores are quite rare compared with other groups of mammals. The study of the ectoparasite fauna of the insectivores: Sorex araneus, Sorex minutus, Neomys fodiens, and Neomys anomalus—was carried out in three locations in north-eastern Poland: Białowieża National Park, Kosewo Górne in the Masuria...

Associations of fleas that live in nests and burrows of small mammals are relatively well explored. In this study we try to expand the knowledge about flea communities of two small mammals, namely Micromys minutus (Pallas, 1771) and Muscardinus avellanarius (Linnaeus, 1758) in Slovakia. Part of the research into the nesting biology and ecology of b...

Simple Summary Mites from the family Laelapidae are frequently associated with small mammals, mainly rodents, and can be found on their body surface or in their nests. Classification of the Laelapidae is complicated because of high levels of their morphological and ecological variability. This study aimed to undertake molecular characterization and...

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most prevalent tick-borne human infection in Europe, with increasing incidence during the latest decades. Abundant populations of Ixodes ricinus, the main vector of the causative agent, spirochetes from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) complex, have been observed in urban and suburban areas of Europe, in gener...

In the literature, 114 species of arthropods associated to Microtus oeconomus have been reported in the entire area of their occurrence. There are eight species of hard ticks, 52 species of gamasid and chigger mites, 47 species of fleas and seven species of sucking lice. In general, the dominant parasites of the Palearctic and Nearctic root vole po...

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular parasite with felids as definitive hosts and a broad range of intermediate hosts. Rodents are considered suitable sentinels for prevalence studies of many infections, including toxoplasmosis. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in rodents from different localities of Slovakia...

Three species of white-toothed shrews of the order Eulipotyphla are present in central Europe: the bicolored (Crocidura leucodon), greater (Crocidura russula) and lesser (Crocidura suaveolens) white-toothed shrews. Their precise distribution in Germany is ill-defined and little is known about them as reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens (Leptospira sp...

We studied patterns of changes in host–flea interactions measured as total turnover (TT) which can be partitioned into components, namely species turnover (ST), interaction rewiring (RW), and mixed turnover (MX) in networks from Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America, applying a multi‐site interaction turnover metric. We also searched for environm...

We herein report the first occurrence of the tick Ixodes acuminatus in the Slovak Republic. Twenty-four I. acuminatus males, seven females and five nymphs were collected in Mus spicilegus nests (Rodentia) from three localities in south-western Slovakia. We repeatedly confirmed ticks in a total of nine M. spicilegus nests in this area during two yea...

Fleas (Siphonaptera) as obligate, blood-feeding ectoparasites are, together with ticks, hosted by small mammals and can transmit causative agents of serious infections. This study aimed to determine and characterize the presence and genetic diversity of Bartonella, Rickettsia, and apicomplexan parasites (Babesia, Hepatozoon) in fleas feeding on sma...

Background Laelaps agilis C.L. Koch, 1836 is one the most abundant and widespread parasitic mite species in the Western Palearctic. It is a permanent ectoparasite associated with the Apodemus genus, which transmits Hepatozoon species via the host’s blood. Phylogenetic relationships, genealogy and host specificity of the mite are uncertain in the We...

Ectoparasitic arthropods communities associated with root voles Microtus oeconomus (Pallas, 1776) were analysed in north-eastern Poland. The first M. oeconomus parasites recorded in the history were the fleas Palaeopsylla similis Dampf, Ctenophthalmus congerer Rothschild, C. bisoctodentatus Kolenati, and C. solutus Jordan et Rothschild. Ctenophthal...

Ticks are ectoparasitic arthropods of great medical and veterinary importance and are important vectors of several pathogens that affect livestock, humans, and pets. Nevertheless, the requirements of individual tick species for climatic factors for tick survival and seasonality and the temporal dynamics of tick-borne pathogens have still not been s...

Biological communities may be assembled by both niche-based and dispersal-based (= historic) processes with the relative importance of these processes in community assembly being scale- and context-dependent. To infer whether (a) niche‐based or dispersal‐based processes play the main role in the assembly of flea communities parasitic on small mamma...

In Slovakia, 22 tick species have been found to occur to date. Among them, Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus, D. marginatus and marginally Haemaphysalis concinna, H. inermis and H. punctata have been identified as the species of public health relevance. Ticks in Slovakia were found to harbour and transmit zoonotic and/or potentially zoonotic...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-021-00850-6

One of the challenges in studies of parasite community ecology is whether the input data for analyses should be parasite abundances/counts, i.e. count data (CD), or parasite incidences (presences/absences), i.e. incidence data (ID). We analysed species responses to environmental factors and species associations in the infracommunities of helminths...

Herein we report the first occurrence of Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. in the Slovak Republic. Sixty fed and unfed Rh. sanguineus s.l. ticks were collected from an apartment in the capital city of the Slovak Republic (Bratislava) and a family house in the town of Sereď in southwestern Slovakia. Based on molecular analyses of the cytochrome C oxidas...

The development of new diagnostic methods resulted in the discovery of novel hepaciviruses in wild populations of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus, syn. Clethrionomys glareolus). The naturally infected voles demonstrate signs of hepatitis similar to those induced by hepatitis C virus (HCV) in humans. The aim of the present research was to investigat...

Ticks are vector arthropods responsible for the transmission of several pathogenic agents that affect both human and animal health worldwide. In this study our objective was to analyse, using molecular tools, the bacterial community of Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis inermis ticks collected in south-eastern Slovakia. Using real-time PCR,...

Interplay between conserved host specificity and occasional host switches is an important process determining the evolution of host-parasite systems. Here, we address the dynamics of host switches at the population level in rodent-associated Eimeria. Focusing mainly on two ecologically similar host groups, Murinae and Arvicolinae, we show that the...

Ixodiphagus endoparasitoid wasps are natural tick enemies that can reduce their abundance. In this study, we investigated the presence of Ixodiphagus hookeri in Haemaphysalis concinna and Ixodes ricinus ticks in the Slovak Karst (southern Slovakia) and analysed the ecological and physiological relationships in the parasitoid-host system. Unfed H. c...

We investigated the evolutionary history of the striped field mouse to identify factors that initiated its past demographic changes and to shed light on the causes of its current genetic structure and trans-Eurasian distribution. We sequenced mitochondrial cyt b from 184 individuals, obtained from 35 sites in central Europe and eastern Mongolia. We...

Lice are blood-sucking insects that are of medical and veterinary significance as parasites and vectors for various infectious agents. More than half of described blood-sucking lice species are found on rodents. Rodents are important hosts of several Bartonella and Rickettsia species, and some of these bacteria are characterized as human pathogens...

Background: Lice are blood-sucking insects that are of medical and veterinary significance as parasites and vectors for various infectious agents. More than half of described blood-sucking lice species are found on rodents. Rodents are important hosts of several Bartonella and Rickettsia species and some of these pathogens are characterised as huma...

Animal-associated microbiota is expected to impose crucial effects on the host's fitness-related performance, including reproduction. Most research to date has focused on interactions between the host with its gut microbiota; however, there remain considerable gaps in knowledge regarding microbial consortia in other organs, including interspecific...

Bacteria belonging to the genus Rickettsia are known as causative agents of vector-borne zoonotic diseases, such as spotted fevers, epidemic typhus and endemic typhus. Different species of ticks, mites and fleas could act as reservoirs and arthropod vectors of different pathogenic Rickettsia species. The aim of this work was to establish active sur...

Ljungan virus (LV), which belongs to the Parechovirus genus in the Picornaviridae family, was first isolated from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in Sweden in 1998 and proposed as a zoonotic agent. To improve knowledge of the host association and geographical distribution of LV, tissues from 1685 animals belonging to multiple rodent and insectivore s...

1. We explored patterns of co‐occurrence of ectoparasite species on individual hosts from Central Europe (Slovakia) and South America (Argentina) within and between higher taxa while controlling for confounding factors associated with variation between host individuals and host species, as well as spatial and temporal variation. We used a recently...

This survey is aimed at investigation of species composition of fleas removed from small terrestrial mammals captured in rural, suburban, and urban types of habitat and molecular screening of the presence and diversity of Rickettsia species in collected ectoparasites. In total, 279 fleas (Siphonaptera) belonging to 9 species of 2 families, Ceratoph...

Associations between species of Laelapidae (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssoidea) mites and small rodents have been studied insufficiently. The aim of this study was to investigate infestation patterns of small rodent species by laelapid mites at six locations in Lithuania. A total of 728 rodents were snap- and live-trapped in various locations during 2013...

Background Distribution and biology of Pholeoixodes ticks is not very well understood. The goal of the study was to collect new data on the Pholeoixodes tick occurrence in Slovakia.Methods Tick infestation of red foxes in the regions of Košice, Prešov, Bratislava and Žilina was studied during the period 2017–2018. Ticks were collected from the fur...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The parasite fauna of small rodents in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was presented.

The described study was conducted about morphological anomalies Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from vegetation in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) in Ukraine, and from the Košice and Nitra Regions in Slovakia.

To better understand the evolutionary history of oriental wildlife newcomers in Europe, we studied the phylogeography and demographic history of the striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius, throughout its Palaearctic distribution area. Genetic datasets including cytochrome b gene sequences and microsatellite markers were analysed using a large range...

The use of functional information in the form of species traits plays an important role in explaining biodiversity patterns and responses to environmental changes. Although relationships between species composition, their traits, and the environment have been extensively studied on a case-by-case basis, results are variable, and it remains unclear...

Autori zosumarizovali dlhoročné výskumy ekológie a epidemiologického výskumu myší kopčiarok (Mus spicilegus Petényi, 1882) v rokoch 2002 – 2010 v štyroch orografických celkoch Slovenska (Východoslovenská rovina, Košická kotlina, Ipeľská pahorkatina a Hronská pahorkatina). Dôraz výskumov bol sústredený na zimnú ekológiu, parazito – hostiteľské vzťah...

Introduction This study presents for the first time a case of Hyalomma excavatum hyperparasitism and an analysis of this phenomenon in terms of its potential role in the biology of ticks and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases. Material and methods Two partially engorged H. excavatum females, one fully engorged female, and 5 males were collected f...

Accepted: Abstract. Data on the use of overwintering mounds of Mus spicilegus and their burrow systems by amphibians and reptiles is completely absent. Therefore, in this study we describe the findings on the occurrence of three species of amphibians (Lissotriton vulgaris, Pelobates fuscus and Bombina bombina) and one reptile species (Lacerta agil...

Accepted: Outdoor species Mus spicilegus Petényi, 1882 were trapped in 2004-2006 on fields of eastern Slovakia in vicinity of village Kechnec (48°33′7.2′′ N, 21°14′25.0′′ E; 200 m a.s.l.). Spring-summer population demography and reproductive aspects (in period March – June) were analyzed in this study. Totally, 51 individuals of the outdoor mound-...

Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae - Accepted: in press To describe variations in overwintering mounds and nest sizes of the mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus), mounds were measured and excavated in 16 locations in south-eastern and south-western Slovakia in autumn and/or winter between 2002 and 2011. The study was carried out in f...

Body and testes size can significantly affect male reproductive success under pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection. Testicular relative mass and/or volume are often used as a characteristic of sperm competitive ability in a comparison of phylogenetically close mammal species. Mus spicilegus males have the largest testes relative to body mass o...

Introduction: The serovar Mozdok related leptospirosis in humans were not yet feasibly diagnosed using merely the standard micro-agglutination test (MAT) what was perhaps due to the impossibility to distinguish them from illnesses that are caused by Leptospira strains belonging to other serovars of the serogroup Pomona. On the contrary, leptospire...

The numbers of Ixodes ricinus (L.) and Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius) larvae and nymphs attached to small mammals are influenced by interspecific competition. The present study analyses data collected over several years in two study areas: Kosewo Górne (Mazurian District, N Poland; between July 1997 and July 2009) and Białowieża Primeval Fores...

Dermacentor reticulatus, also known as ornate dog tick, is an important vector of the causative agents of various tick-borne diseases in humans, livestock and wild animals. The geographical range of D. reticulatus in Europe is fragmented and divided into two main zones: The Western European and the Eastern European zone. To investigate D. reticulat...

We tested whether biogeographic patterns characteristic for biological communities can also apply to populations and investigated geographic patterns of variation in abundance of ectoparasites (fleas and mites) collected from bodies of their small mammalian hosts (rodents and shrews) in the Palearctic at continental, regional and local scales. We a...

Craniometric characteristics of two sibling species of the genus Mus, the indoor house mouse (Mus musculus) and the outdoor mound-building mouse (M. spicilegus), from Slovakia were compared and evaluated in order to discriminate them. Twenty-one skull and dental variables were evaluated on 107 skulls of adult house mice, M. musculus and 80 skulls o...

Craniometric characteristics of two sibling species of the genus Mus, the indoor house mouse (Mus musculus) and the outdoor mound-building mouse (M. spicilegus), from Slovakia were compared and evaluated in order to discriminate them. Twenty-one skull and dental variables were evaluated on 107 skulls of adult house mice, M. musculus and 80 skulls o...

The aims of this study were to determine whether sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in fleas and gamasid mites (i) conforms to Rensch's rule (allometry of SSD) and (ii) covaries with sex ratio (SR) in infrapopulations (conspecific parasites harboured by an individual host), xenopopulations (conspecific parasites harboured by a population of a given host...

Background: Rickettsiae are emerging pathogens causing public health problems in many countries around the world. Rickettsia spp. are found in association with a wide range of arthropods which feed on different species of animals. However, the distribution and natural cycle of Rickettsia species and their association with different arthropod vecto...

Rickettsiae of the spotted fever group are considered as emerging pathogens; ticks, fleas and mites are known to be their vectors. However, the prevalence and species diversity of rickettsiae in small mammals and the role of these hosts in the circulation of bacteria are much less studied. During 2014–2016, a total of 250 small mammals (Apodemus ag...

Recent studies show that host switching is much more frequent than originally believed and constitutes an important driver in evolution of host-parasite associations. However, its frequency and ecological mechanisms at the population level have been rarely investigated. We address this issue by analyzing phylogeny and population genetics of an exte...

Ticks are important vectors of pathogens affecting humans and animals worldwide. They do not only carry pathogens but diverse commensal and symbiotic microorganisms are also present in ticks. A molecular screening for tick-borne pathogens and endosymbionts was carried out in Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis inermis questing...

The incidence of tick-borne diseases caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. has been rising in Europe in recent decades. Early pre-assessment of acarological hazard still represents a complex challenge. The aim of this study was to model Ixodes ricinus questing nymph density and its infection rate w...

Background: Adult fleas are haematophagous ectoparasites of warm-blooded vertebrates, particularly mammals. Among them, the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) and the human flea (Pulex irritans) have high veterinary-medical significance, owing to their cosmopolitan distribution and role in the transmission of important vector-borne pathogens. While...

A total of 39 coagulase-negative staphylococci and seven Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated from small mammal feces, i.e., the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) and the yellow-necked mouse (A. flavicollis) in two sampling areas, deciduous forest and karst plains. MALDI-TOF analysis revealed five species of coagulase-negative staphylo...

Faecal samples from striped field mice (n = 72) and yellow-necked mice (n = 246) were screened for Cryptosporidium by microscopy and PCR/sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of small-subunit rRNA, Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein and actin gene sequences revealed the presence of C. parvum, C. hominis, C. muris and two new species, C. apodemi and C....

LADISLAV MOŠANSKÝ – MICHAL STANKO – ALEXANDER ČANÁDY L. Mošanský, M. Stanko, A. Čanády: Present knowledge on the occupation and use of bird nestboxes by edible dormouse (Glis glis) in Slovak karst (East Slovakia) Abstract: The authors present the results of occupancy of bird nestboxes by edible dormouse (Glis glis) in orographic area Slovak Karst c...

We undertook a study on Cryptosporidium spp. in wild cricetid rodents. Fecal samples were collected from meadow voles ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ), southern red-backed voles ( Myodes gapperi ), woodland voles ( Microtus pinetorum ), muskrats ( Ondatra zibethicus ) and Peromyscus spp. mice in North America, and from bank voles ( Myodes glareolus ) an...

Puumala virus (PUUV), carried by bank voles (Myodes glareolus), is the medically most important hantavirus in Central and Western Europe. In this study, a total of 523 bank voles (408 from Germany, 72 from Slovakia, and 43 from Czech Republic) collected between the years 2007-2012 were analyzed for the presence of hantavirus RNA. Partial PUUV genom...

Beta-diversity of biological communities can be decomposed into (a) dissimilarity of communities among units of finer scale within units of broader scale and (b) dissimilarity of communities among units of broader scale. We investigated compositional, phylogenetic/taxonomic and functional beta-diversity of compound communities of fleas and gamasid...

Cryptosporidium spp. is an important causative agent of intestinal parasitoses-induced diarrhoea in humans and animals worldwide. Rodents (small mammals), the main reservoir of infections, are globally expanded and overpopulated, which increases the risk of transfer of human and zoonotic pathogens from the genus Cryptosporidium. In this study, Cryp...

We investigated the diversity of Bartonella in Apodemus agrarius, an important rodent of peri-domestic habitats, which has spread into Europe in the past 1000 years. Spleen samples of 344 A. agrarius from Eastern Slovakia were screened for the presence of Bartonella spp. using 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer region and bacteria were detect...

Puumala virus (PUUV) is medically the most important hantavirus in Central and Western Europe. It is a zoonotic virus carried by bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and transmitted directly by their aerosolized excreta. In humans, PUUV infection causes a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). A total of 115 bank voles (72 from Slovaki...

Many rickettsiae of the spotted fever group are emerging pathogens causing serious diseases associated with vertebrate hosts. Ixodidae ticks are known as their vectors. Investigation of the relative abundance of questing Ixodes ricinus and their infection with Rickettsia spp. in an agricultural site comprising a game reserve in Slovakia was the aim...