Close spatial overlap between the genetic population boundaries of raccoons and the distribution of the raccoon roundworm in Germany

Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy

article

Alain C. Frantz¹  Anna Schleimer¹  Julian Wittische²  Mike Heddergott¹ 

[1] Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle;Musée National d’Histoire Naturelle;Fondation Faune-Flore

关键词: emerging infectious disease;    invasive species;    public health;    spatial genetics;    wildlife genetics;    zoonosis;   

DOI  :  10.4404/hystrix-00444-2021

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Associazione Teriologica Italiana

【 摘 要 】

While raccoons (Procyon lotor) cluster into five genetic populations in Germany, the precise spatial extent and degree of overlap of these clusters are unknown. The raccoon roundworm (Baylisacaris procyonis), a parasitic nematode that can cause severe disease in humans, is known to occur in central Germany in two of these five populations. Here we confirm a close alignment between the geographic distribution of the roundworm and the spatial extent of the genetic populations of raccoons in which the parasite occurs. We found little evidence that linear landscape features substantially limit gene flow between populations. Given the large amount of genetic admixture at cluster boundaries, the raccoon roundworm is likely to spread to roundworm-free raccoon populations in the future.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC