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Dive into the research topics where Jasmin Skuballa is active.

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Featured researches published by Jasmin Skuballa.


Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases | 2012

Occurrence of different Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies including B. afzelii, B. bavariensis, and B. spielmanii in hedgehogs (Erinaceus spp.) in Europe.

Jasmin Skuballa; Trevor N. Petney; M. P. Pfäffle; Rainer Oehme; Kathrin Hartelt; Volker Fingerle; Peter Kimmig; Horst Taraschewski

In order to determine whether European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus and E. roumanicus) play a role in the epidemiological cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Central Europe and Great Britain, tissue samples of hedgehogs from Germany (n=211), Austria (n=4), the Czech Republic (n=22), and the U.K. (n=32) were tested for the presence of these tick-borne pathogens. PCR for amplification of the B. burgdorferi s.l.-specific 5S-23S intergenic spacer region as well as the outer surface protein A (ospA) gene were used. B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA was detected in 35 of the 259 E. europaeus and in 2 of 10 E. roumanicus. B. burgdorferi prevalences in E. europaeus ranged from 0% (U.K.) to 37.5% (Czech Republic), for E. roumanicus from 0% (Czech Republic) to 50.0% (Austria). Sequencing revealed the occurrence of 3 different B. burgdorferi genospecies in E. europaeus: B. afzelii was the dominant genospecies, followed by B. bavariensis (previously B. garinii OspA serotype 4) and B. spielmanii, the latter was detected for the first time in Hamburg (Germany). B. afzelii and B. bavariensis were also found in E. roumanicus. Our results suggest that hedgehogs modulate the epidemiology of certain species of the B. burgdorferi s.l. complex, potentially affecting the distribution and abundance of individual B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies in various habitats. We hypothesise that juvenile or individuals with low immune competence in particular, have a high reservoir potential for the 3 genospecies identified here.


Experimental and Applied Acarology | 2011

Comparative population dynamics of a generalist (Ixodes ricinus) and specialist tick (I. hexagonus) species from European hedgehogs

M. P. Pfäffle; Trevor N. Petney; Jasmin Skuballa; Horst Taraschewski

Although the population dynamics of the tick Ixodes ricinus are relatively well studied, those of other Western European tick species are largely unknown. Moreover, there is very little information related to the interactions between I. ricinus and other ticks. Such knowledge, however, is of special interest in respect to the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens such as Borrelia spp. We compared the dynamics of the generalist I. ricinus with the nest-dwelling hedgehog specialist, I. hexagonus. Both species were collected from hedgehogs from a naturally infested experimental population between 2006 and 2008. Ticks were collected once a month from March to October from each hedgehog counted and the life history stage and species determined. All hedgehogs harboured both tick species. Nymphs, females and males of I. ricinus showed clear bimodal seasonal distributions with peaks in spring and autumn, while larvae peaked only in summer. The density of I. hexagonus life stages was low during the whole investigation period and seasonal fluctuations of population density were much weaker compared to I. ricinus. Nymphs and larvae showed comparatively little change in population size and no consistent period of peak density. Females showed a single peak in summer and males were found only occasionally on hedgehogs. We suggest density-dependent mechanisms regulating the population density of the specialist I. hexagonus but not of the generalist I. ricinus.


Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases | 2010

Molecular Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) and its Ticks

Jasmin Skuballa; Trevor N. Petney; M. P. Pfäffle; Horst Taraschewski

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is a common wild mammal in Central Europe that shares habitats with humans in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. Thus, this species may play a role in human contact with zoonotic diseases. Here we report the presence of the pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum in hedgehogs and their ticks in Germany.


PLOS ONE | 2014

Analysis of the Population Structure of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Using Multilocus Sequence Typing

Christian Huhn; Christina Winter; Timo Wolfsperger; Nicole Wüppenhorst; Katja Strašek Smrdel; Jasmin Skuballa; M. P. Pfäffle; Trevor N. Petney; Cornelia Silaghi; Viktor Dyachenko; Nikola Pantchev; Reinhard K. Straubinger; Daniel Schaarschmidt-Kiener; Martin Ganter; Matthew L. Aardema; Friederike D. von Loewenich

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates in neutrophils. It is transmitted via tick-bite and causes febrile disease in humans and animals. Human granulocytic anaplasmosis is regarded as an emerging infectious disease in North America, Europe and Asia. However, although increasingly detected, it is still rare in Europe. Clinically apparent A. phagocytophilum infections in animals are mainly found in horses, dogs, cats, sheep and cattle. Evidence from cross-infection experiments that A. phagocytophilum isolates of distinct host origin are not uniformly infectious for heterologous hosts has led to several approaches of molecular strain characterization. Unfortunately, the results of these studies are not always easily comparable, because different gene regions and fragment lengths were investigated. Multilocus sequence typing is a widely accepted method for molecular characterization of bacteria. We here provide for the first time a universal typing method that is easily transferable between different laboratories. We validated our approach on an unprecedented large data set of almost 400 A. phagocytophilum strains from humans and animals mostly from Europe. The typability was 74% (284/383). One major clonal complex containing 177 strains was detected. However, 54% (49/90) of the sequence types were not part of a clonal complex indicating that the population structure of A. phagocytophilum is probably semiclonal. All strains from humans, dogs and horses from Europe belonged to the same clonal complex. As canine and equine granulocytic anaplasmosis occurs frequently in Europe, human granulocytic anaplasmosis is likely to be underdiagnosed in Europe. Further, wild boars and hedgehogs may serve as reservoir hosts of the disease in humans and domestic animals in Europe, because their strains belonged to the same clonal complex. In contrast, as they were only distantly related, roe deer, voles and shrews are unlikely to harbor A. phagocytophilum strains infectious for humans, domestic or farm animals.


Parasitology | 2009

Tick-induced blood loss leads to regenerative anaemia in the European hedgehog ( Erinaceus europaeus).

M. P. Pfäffle; Trevor N. Petney; M. Elgas; Jasmin Skuballa; Horst Taraschewski

Although there is an increasing understanding of the role of parasites in their host dynamics, accurate, quantitative estimates of parasite caused morbidity in wild animals are rare. Here, we examine the possible impact of 2 tick species (Ixodes ricinus, I. hexagonus) on the condition of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). For this, we tested for correlations between blood parameters of 36 adult hedgehogs from an experimental population enclosed in a natural habitat and their tick infestation over a period of 8 months (March-October 2007). We found correlations between the tick infestation and the concentration of red blood cells, haemoglobin, haematocrit, MCH, MCHC, thrombocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils. These results indicate that ticks can induce anaemia in the hedgehog. The peripheral blood characteristics and the erythrocyte indices characterize this anaemia as haemorrhagic and regenerative. During the course of our study the hedgehogs of our population showed below normal mortality but morbidity was found to be high resulting from the blood loss caused by the feeding activity of the ticks.


Parasitology Research | 2010

The avian acanthocephalan Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus (Palaeacanthocephala) parasitizing the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) in Europe and New Zealand.

Jasmin Skuballa; Horst Taraschewski; Trevor N. Petney; M. P. Pfäffle; Lesley R. Smales

The palaeacanthocephalan Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus is a common intestinal parasite of passerine birds, which can also occur parenterally or in the intestinal tract of mammals, often as an invading species in many countries worldwide. In this survey, introduced hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus, n = 183) killed in New Zealand during a biocontrol campaign and conspecifics (n = 174) that had died in hedgehog rehabilitation centers in Germany and Britain were examined for this parasite. In New Zealand, P. cylindraceus is recorded for the first time here, in the vicinity of Auckland. In Europe, prevalences ranged from 4.2% up to 47.6%, while in New Zealand, only 1.6% (Auckland 7.9%). Most of the worms occurred inside the peritoneal cavity where they had partly degenerated. Since hedgehogs are seldom preyed upon in continental Europe but often become traffic victims, we hypothesize that the worms inside them, whether extra- or intraperitoneally, contribute to the abundance and persistence of the parasite by being ingested by scavenging birds. Accordingly, we consider P. cylindraceus as a “modern parasite” taking advantage of two aspects of global change: anthropogenic promoted transmission (road kills) and the transcontinental spread of infected intermediate and/or final hosts caused by humans.


Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases | 2013

Detection of Rickettsia helvetica in ticks collected from European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus, Linnaeus, 1758).

Stephanie Speck; Lea Perseke; Trevor N. Petney; Jasmin Skuballa; M. P. Pfäffle; Horst Taraschewski; Toni Bunnell; Sandra Essbauer; Gerhard Dobler

The role of wild mammals in the dissemination and maintenance of Rickettsia in nature is still under investigation. European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) are often heavily infested by tick and flea species that are known to harbor and transmit different Rickettsia spp. We investigated ixodid ticks sampled from European hedgehogs for the presence of Rickettsia. A total of 471 Ixodes ricinus and 755 I. hexagonus were collected from 26 German and 7 British European hedgehogs. These were tested by a genus-specific real-time PCR assay targeting the citrate synthase gene (gltA). The rickettsia minimum infection rate was 11.7% with an increase detected with each parasitic tick stage. No significant difference in Rickettsia prevalence in the 2 Ixodes species was detected. Using sequencing of partial ompB, Rickettsia helvetica was the only species identified. More than half of the hedgehogs carried Rickettsia-positive ticks. In addition, tissue samples from 2/5 hedgehogs (where tissue DNA was available) were PCR-positive. These results show that European hedgehogs are exposed to R. helvetica via infected ticks and might be involved in the natural transmission cycle of this Rickettsia species.


Molecular Ecology | 2013

Population biology of establishment in New Zealand hedgehogs inferred from genetic and historical data: conflict or compromise?

Barbora Černá Bolfíková; Adam Konečný; M. P. Pfäffle; Jasmin Skuballa; Pavel Hulva

The crucial steps in biological invasions, related to the shaping of genetic architecture and the current evolution of adaptations to a novel environment, usually occur in small populations during the phases of introduction and establishment. However, these processes are difficult to track in nature due to invasion lag, large geographic and temporal scales compared with human observation capabilities, the frequent depletion of genetic variance, admixture and other phenomena. In this study, we compared genetic and historical evidence related to the invasion of the West European hedgehog to New Zealand to infer details about the introduction and establishment. Historical information indicates that the species was initially established on the South Island. A molecular assay of populations from Great Britain and New Zealand using mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci was performed based on a set of analyses including approximate Bayesian computation, a powerful approach for disentangling complex population demographies. According to these analyses, the population of the North Island was most similar to that of the native area and showed greatest reduction in genetic variation caused by founder demography and/or drift. This evidence indicated the location of the establishment phase. The hypothesis was corroborated by data on climate and urbanization. We discuss the contrasting results obtained by the molecular and historical approaches in the light of their different explanatory power and the possible biases influencing the description of particular aspects of invasions, and we advocate the integration of the two types of approaches in invasion biology.


Archive | 2012

The Changing Distribution Patterns of Ticks (Ixodida) in Europe in Relation to Emerging Tick-Borne Diseases

Trevor N. Petney; Jasmin Skuballa; S. Muders; M. P. Pfäffle; C. Zetlmeisl; R. Oehme

Ixodid ticks are the most important vectors of human pathogens and are significant vectors of animal pathogens in Europe. Evidence is accumulating that several tick species have extended their distributions, related at least in part to climate and habitat changes. With increasing anthropogenic modification of the environment, these distributional modifications are likely to continue, with the likelihood that tick-borne diseases will spread to new areas. We discuss those factors which are involved in the changing distributions of ixodid ticks and provide a list of possible invading species given potential changes in tick habitat.


New Zealand Journal of Zoology | 2010

An immature polymorphid acanthocephalan from a European hedgehog (Erinaceidae) from New Zealand

Lesley R. Smales; Jasmin Skuballa; Horst Taraschewski; Trevor N. Petney; M. P. Pfäffle

Abstract During an examination of the acanthocephalan fauna of the European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus Linneaus, from Auckland, New Zealand a single late stage acanthella of a putative species of Polymorphus (Polymorphidae) was found. The proboscis armature of the species differed from all congeners thus far described. The infection appeared to be an occasional infection of the hedgehog by a polymorphid whose normal definitive host has yet to be determined, but may be a native New Zealand bird.

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M. P. Pfäffle

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

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Trevor N. Petney

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

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Horst Taraschewski

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

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Peter Kimmig

University of Hohenheim

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C. Zetlmeisl

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

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