Wild rodents are an important source of the tick-borne pathogens Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of antibodies and possible coexistence of these pathogens in wild small mammals from three localities in the Czech Republic. A total of 614 wild small mammals (324 Apodemus flavicollis, 145 Myodes glareolus, 50 Sorex araneus, 48 A. sylvaticus, 40 A. agrarius, six Microtus arvalis and one Talpa europaea) were trapped between 2012 and 2015. Their sera or heart extracts were examined by modified indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, with the detection of antibodies against C. burnetii and F. tularensis in 12 % and 7 % of animals, respectively; coinfection was identified in 4.4 % of animals. The prevalence of C. burnetii and F. tularensis antibodies statistically differed according to animal species and sex (p < 0.05); the seroprevalence of C. burnetii (p < 0.05) also differed in the sampling period. The highest prevalence of antibodies against C. burnetii and F. tularensis was detected in the case of M. glareolus (24 % and 14 %, respectively).

Masaryk University Faculty of Science Department of Comparative Animal Physiology and General Zoology Kamenice 753 5 Brno 625 00 Czech Republic

Masaryk University Faculty of Science Department of Comparative Animal Physiology and General Zoology Kamenice 753 5 Brno 625 00 Czech Republic; Masaryk University Faculty of Education Department of Biology Kamenice 753 5 Brno 625 00 Czech Republic

Masaryk University Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics and Statistics Kotlářská 2 Brno 611 37 Czech Republic

University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases Palackého tř 1946 1 Brno 612 42 Czech Republic

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