000169926 001__ 169926
000169926 005__ 20260306154908.0
000169926 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1111/zph.70043
000169926 0248_ $$2sideral$$a148458
000169926 037__ $$aART-2026-148458
000169926 041__ $$aeng
000169926 100__ $$aRuiz, Cristina
000169926 245__ $$aArtificial Irrigation Impacts the Seasonal Occurrence of Pathogenic "Leptospira" in Its Wild Reservoirs in a Mediterranean Environment
000169926 260__ $$c2026
000169926 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000169926 5203_ $$aBackground
Human activities play a significant role in the emergence of infectious diseases. We aimed to test whether artificial irrigation affects the occurrence of a zoonotic bacteria sensitive to desiccation, pathogenic Leptospira species (pathoLep), in micromammals inhabiting Mediterranean ecosystems.
Methods
A total of 361 individuals, including 217 Algerian mice (Mus spretus), 79 wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), and 65 greater white-toothed shrews (Crocidura russula), were captured during the four seasons of 2022 in six sites along a riparian forest close to a large city in north-eastern Spain and the surrounding agricultural fields, which are irrigated by flooding. A piece of kidney from each individual was analysed by means of two real-time PCR protocols targeting the lipL32 gene, which is exclusively found in pathoLep. Generalised Linear Models were used to study the factors that may be related to the presence of pathoLep.
Results
DNA of pathoLep was detected in 28% of the individuals, a relatively high occurrence compared to similar studies. The best model for the general micromammal population included four significant factors: season, age, species, and habitat. Prevalence was significantly lower during the dry seasons; in juveniles than in adult individuals; in the wood mouse than in the Algerian mouse and the shrew; and in natural than in agricultural habitats. Prevalence was consistently higher in agricultural habitats during all the seasons, reaching over 55% prevalence in these areas during spring. For the core species, the Algerian mouse, the best model included two factors (seasons and habitat), in the same sense as the general population model.
Conclusions
This study shows that pathoLep are widespread among micromammals in the Middle Ebro Valley and that their occurrence is shaped by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We identified a human activity (artificial irrigation) as an important driver favouring leptospiral survival in rural environments.
000169926 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/LMP90_21
000169926 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby-nc-sa$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.es
000169926 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000169926 700__ $$aRodríguez-Pastor, Ruth
000169926 700__ $$aEscolar, Cristina
000169926 700__ $$aAlonso, Henar
000169926 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-5608-781X$$aMillán, Javier
000169926 773__ $$g(2026), [8 pp.]$$pZoonoses public health$$tZoonoses and Public Health$$x1863-1959
000169926 8564_ $$s1010996$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/169926/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000169926 8564_ $$s2352603$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/169926/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000169926 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:169926$$particulos$$pdriver
000169926 951__ $$a2026-03-06-14:50:38
000169926 980__ $$aARTICLE