Age-related differences in physiology and survival of northern red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus) in captivity.

Age-related deterioration of physiological functions is one of the most evident manifestations of ageing. In wild populations of some species, including murid rodents, lifespans are substantially modified by environmental signals that affect an individual's response to such challenges as unfavourable climatic conditions, parasitic load etc. But the real impact of ageing on natural mortality of most species remains obscure. To clarify how age affects the responsiveness of organisms to environmental challenges, we performed longitudinal laboratory observations of wild-derived northern red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus). We fixed individual longevity and measured metabolic indexes (basal and maximal metabolic rates), ability to maintain body temperature under acute cooling, plasma corticosterone, indexes of acquired and innate immunity in the same individuals of 3-4, 6-7 and 9-10 months old. The maximum estimated lifespan was about 2 years 8 months, which is considerably older than in nature, but less than 30% of individuals passed the one-year milestone. Regardless of the intense mortality, in the first year of life, animals did not demonstrate any age-related deterioration in physiological functions, except leucocyte number. No consistency in any individual physiological index was found. As the individual longevity of red-backed voles varied between years of captivity, we suggest that the welfare and lifespan of wild animals in captivity may be affected by the environmental conditions in the period preceding removal of the animal from the wild.

Wintertime loss of ultradian and circadian rhythms of body temperature in the subterranean euthermic mole vole, ellobius talpinus.

Subterranean common mole voles, Ellobius talpinus, were implanted with long-term recording electronic thermometers to obtain hourly body temperature (T(b)) data during either the wintertime or summertime. The two individuals tested during the summertime had significant circadian and ultradian rhythms in their T(b). Four of the five mole voles tested during the wintertime lacked rhythmicity in their T(b). The fifth individual lacked circadian rhythms but had ultradian rhythms in its T(b). A loss of circadian rhythms in T(b) during deep torpor or hibernation has been reported for a few species of mammals. Inasmuch as the mole voles' wintertime T(b) remained at euthermic levels, our results show that a loss of circadian body temperature rhythms in mole voles does not require the low T(b) of deep torpor or hibernation. A tentative conclusion, based on these few animals, is that in common mole voles the T(b) rhythms may disappear during the wintertime even though their T(b) remains high.

Epidemiology of a tick-borne viral infection: theoretical insights and practical implications for public health.

The morbidity of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) varies yearly by as much as 10-fold among the people of Western Siberia. This long-term variation is dependent on many factors such as the density of the tick populations, the prevalence of TBE virus (TBEV) among sub-adult ticks, the yearly virulence of the TBEV, and prophylactic measures. Here we highlight the role of small mammal hosts in the circulation of TBEV through the ecosystem. Refining classical models of non-viremic horizontal transmission, we emphasize the recently understood fact that the physiological and immunological status of the small mammal hosts affects the tick and virus-host interactions. In addition to its theoretical interest, our approach may lead to some practical improvements in the precision of epidemiological forecasts and perhaps in forestalling the severity of outbreaks of TBE, or, at least, in forewarning medical authorities and the general public of impending TBE outbreaks.