An investigation of endoparasites and the determinants of parasite infection in European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) from Denmark.

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 striatum, Capillaria aerophila (syn. Eucoleus aerophilus), Capillaria spp., coccidia, Cryptosporidium spp., Brachylaemus spp. and Capillaria hepatica. We also examined the hedgehogs for Giardia spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis but all were negative. Coccidia (n = 7, 2.5%) and Cryptosporidium spp. (n = 14, 5.2%) were only detected in individuals from Zealand, Lolland and Jutland south of the Limfjord. Single cases of Brachylaemus spp. (n = 1, 0.4%) and Capillaria hepatica (n = 1, 1.1%) were exclusively discovered in Jutland south and north of the Limfjord, respectively. These results indicate a regional difference in endoparasite species carried by European hedgehogs in Denmark. This stresses the need for hedgehogs to be cared for locally when admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centres, and to be released within their area of origin, to prevent spread of endoparasite infections among hedgehogs. Additionally, we explored the following possible determinants of parasite infection in the hedgehogs: sex, age, mortality category (in-care, natural and roadkill), infection with MRSA, genetic heterozygosity, month of death, geographical location and habitat type, and found that only age had a statistically significant effect on endoparasite prevalence, as we detected a lower occurrence of endoparasites in juvenile hedgehogs (<1 year) compared to the other age classes. However, pairwise comparisons of geographical regions did show significant differences in endoparasite occurrence: Zealand vs. Jutland south of the Limfjord and Zealand vs. Falster. We conclude that, in line with previous studies of European hedgehogs throughout their range in Western Europe, endoparasite infections are common and a natural part of their ecology.

European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) as a natural reservoir of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carrying mecC in Denmark.

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 Denmark; 2) investigate determinants of MRSA carriage in hedgehogs; 3) determine the potential for zoonotic transmission of MRSA from hedgehogs to humans; and 4) characterise the detected MRSA on both a phenotypic and molecular level. METHODS: Nasal swabs were taken from 188 dead hedgehogs collected by volunteers throughout Denmark to determine the occurrence of MRSA. Additionally, 16 hedgehog rehabilitators were tested for potential zoonotic transmission of MRSA from hedgehogs to humans. The swabs were incubated in tryptic soy broth supplemented with 6.5% NaCl, followed by spread of 10 µl on Brilliance MRSA 2 agar. One presumptive MRSA colony from each plate was subcultured on 5% blood agar. All S. aureus subcultures were verified by a PCR assay detecting mecA, mecC, lukF-PV, scn, and spa, followed by spa typing. RESULTS: A total of 114 (61%) hedgehogs carried mecC-MRSA, whereas none carried mecA-MRSA. The detected mecC-MRSA belonged to two genetic lineages CC130 (spa-types: t528, t843, t1048, t3256, t3570, t6220, t17133) and CC1943 (spa-types: t978, t2345, t3391, t8835, t16868), 52% of which were spa-type t843 (CC130).The detection rate of mecC-MRSA in the hedgehogs was similar regardless of cause of death, sex, region and habitat type. None of the hedgehog rehabilitators carried MRSA. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide study confirms a high occurrence of mecC-MRSA in hedgehogs, which could serve as a natural reservoir for this specific type of MRSA. Furthermore, our study did not find signs of zoonotic transmission of mecC-MRSA to hedgehog rehabilitators.

Diverse migration strategies in hoopoes (Upupa epops) lead to weak spatial but strong temporal connectivity.

The annual cycle of migrating birds is shaped by their seasonal movements between breeding and non-breeding sites. Studying how migratory populations are linked throughout the annual cycle-migratory connectivity, is crucial to understanding the population dynamics of migrating bird species. This requires the consideration not only of spatial scales as has been the main focus to date but also of temporal scales: only when both aspects are taken into account, the degree of migratory connectivity can be properly defined. We investigated the migration behaviour of hoopoes (Upupa epops) from four breeding populations across Europe and characterised migration routes to and from the breeding grounds, location of non-breeding sites and the timing of key migration events. Migration behaviour was found to vary both within and amongst populations, and even though the spatial migratory connectivity amongst the populations was weak, temporal connectivity was strong with differences in timing amongst populations, but consistent timing within populations. The combination of diverse migration routes within populations and co-occurrence on the non-breeding grounds between populations might promote exchange between breeding populations. As a result, it might make hoopoes and other migrating bird species with similar strategies more resilient to future habitat or climatic changes and stabilise population trends.

Gene flow and genetic drift contribute to high genetic diversity with low phylogeographical structure in European hoopoes (Upupa epops).

The Hoopoe (Upupa epops epops) breeds widely in Eurasia and most populations migrate to Africa during the boreal winter. To date, data regarding its phylogeography in Europe are missing. In this study, we investigated the phylogeography and population genetics of Hoopoes by means of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing as well as microsatellite genotyping. Our analyses revealed 32 haplotypes in the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) (269 individuals) and 50 haplotypes in cytochrome b (cyt b) (233 individuals). Analyses of mtDNA clearly demonstrated that the bulk of variance (98.23%) could be attributed to inner-population variance. Thus, the low frequency single nucleotide substitutions resulted in "star-like" haplotype networks without define geographical structure. Hoopoes clearly experienced a bottleneck followed by sudden expansion, as was also apparent from tests on the unimodal mismatch, Bayesian skyline plot, significant negative neutrality tests as well as bottleneck signals. These tests pointed to strong demographic fluctuations in the hoopoe populations. GENELAND, DAPC and STRUCTURE analyses of microsatellites along with their corresponding Fst values suggested that current genetic restriction separates birds from Armenia from the remaining populations. Except for hoopoes from Armenia, all the European populations exhibited an admixed phylogeographic pattern. We conclude that this genetic panmixia might be a consequence of a combination of historical events (e.g. repeated colonizations and retreatments from northern habitats during the Pleistocene and a sudden postglacial expansion) and current processes (e.g. long-distance migration, immigration or population recruitments).

Repeatability of individual migration routes, wintering sites, and timing in a long-distance migrant bird.

Migratory birds are often faithful to wintering (nonbreeding) sites, and also migration timing is usually remarkably consistent, that is, highly repeatable. Spatiotemporal repeatability can be of advantage for multiple reasons, including familiarity with local resources and predators as well as avoiding the costs of finding a new place, for example, nesting grounds. However, when the environment is variable in space and time, variable site selection and timing might be more rewarding. To date, studies on spatial and temporal repeatability in short-lived long-distance migrants are scarce, most notably of first-time and subsequent migrations. Here, we investigated repeatability in autumn migration directions, wintering sites, and annual migration timing in Hoopoes (Upupa epops), a long-distance migrant, using repeated tracks of adult and first-time migrants. Even though autumn migration directions were mostly the same, individual wintering sites often changed from year to year with distances between wintering sites exceeding 1,000 km. The timing of migration was repeatable within an individual during autumn, but not during spring migration. We suggest that Hoopoes respond to variable environmental conditions such as north-south shifts in rainfall during winter and differing onset of the food availability during spring migration.