Sophie Lund Rasmussen

University of Oxford | OX · Department of Zoology

The discovery of antibiotics more than 80 years ago has led to considerable improvements in human and animal health. Although antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria is ancient, resistance in human pathogens is thought to be a modern phenomenon that is driven by the clinical use of antibiotics1. Here we show that particular lineages of meth...

Background The European population of hedgehogs ( Erinaceus europaeus ) is declining. It is therefore essential to optimise conservation initiatives such as the rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs. Wild animals placed in captivity may be prone to chronic stress, potentially causing negative health effects. Therefore, the effects...

The European hedgehog population is declining in Europe. It is therefore important to investigate the causes for the decline and monitor the general health of the species. We investigated the endoparasite occurrence in 299 dead European hedgehogs. Of these, endoparasites were detected in 69% of the individuals tested. We identified Crenosoma striat...

Popular scientific communication article about our research on the effects of robotic lawn mowers on hedgehogs. You can read the article here: https://sciencenordic.com/animals-denmark/do-robotic-lawn-mowers-hurt-hedgehogs-dr-hedgehog-has-the-answer/1856882

A popular scientific communication article in Danish about our research on the effects of robotic lawn mowers on hedgehogs. The article can be found here: https://videnskab.dk/forskerzonen/teknologi-innovation/kan-robotplaeneklippere-draebe-pindsvin-doktor-pindsvin-har-svaret

We tested the effects of 18 models of robotic lawn mowers in collision with dead European hedgehogs and quantified the results into six damage categories. All models were tested on four weight classes of hedgehogs, each placed in three different positions. None of the robotic lawn mowers tested was able to detect the presence of dependent juvenile...

Popular scientific description of The Danish Hedgehog Project You can read the article here: https://videnskab.dk/naturvidenskab/det-danske-pindsvineprojekt-hvordan-har-vores-pindsvin-det-egentlig-derude

Objectives Low genetic diversity can lead to reduced average fitness in a population or even extinction. Preserving genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes is therefore vital to counteract the negative consequences of genetic drift and inbreeding. This study aimed to assess the genetic composition and consequently the conservation status...

Objectives Low genetic diversity can lead to reduced average fitness in a population or even extinction. Preserving genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes is therefore vital to counteract the negative consequences of genetic drift and inbreeding. This study aimed to assess the genetic composition and consequently the conservation status...

A popular scientific article about the Danish Hedgehog Project.

Abstract European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) populations are widespread across diverse habitats but are declining in Western Europe. Drastic declines have been described in the UK, with the most severe declines occurring in rural areas. Hedgehogs are widely distributed in Denmark, but their status remains unknown. Fieldwork on hedgehogs has ten...

The objective of the study was to establish and refine a method for the genomic characterization of European hedgehogs in Denmark using the second-generation genotyping technique, genotyping by sequencing (GBS). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were filtered with a read coverage between 20 - 100 and a maximum number of missing data of 25 %. I...

Objectives: A recent study from Sweden showed that European hedgehogs may constitute a reservoir for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but this host-parasite relationship remains to be investigated in other countries. In this study, we therefore sought to: 1) determine the dissemination of MRSA in European hedgehogs throughout De...

European hedgehogs in Denmark