The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is the largest European rodent. This endangered species is an ecosystem engineer capable of providing several positive impacts in the ecosystems. However, it is also a cause of frequent conflicts with humans. In 2020, the beaver population in the Czech Republic reached 14,610 individuals, with the highest numbers in the Pilsen, Olomouc and Southern Moravian regions. Concurrently, beavers were most often admitted to rehabilitation centres in these regions, and their total numbers in rehabilitation centres increased in the period from 2010 to 2020 (p < 0.01). Beavers were most often admitted after falls into pits and other openings (29.76% of admitted animals) and after a collision with a vehicle (11.9%). Almost half (47.62%) of admitted beavers were released to the wild after their recovery. The mortality rates differed for different causes of admission, with the highest mortality in beavers admitted after a collision with a vehicle (70%) and beavers with bite wounds (67%). There was no significant difference (p > 0.01) in the length of stay in the centres of the beavers that were released to the wild after being treated for the monitored causes of admission. In view of these results, it is important to place particular emphasis on preventive interventions in nature reducing anthropogenic risks for Eurasian beavers and educating the public about the beneficial activities of this endangered species.

• MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• hlodavci * fyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ohrožené druhy MeSH
• rehabilitační centra * statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• zachování přírodních zdrojů MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is an expanding species in Europe in recent decades due to reintroductions and natural population growth. Beavers expanded rapidly in the second half of the 20th century, and their expansion was particularly rapid in the Danube basin. Nowadays, the majority of the continuous population located in the central and eastern parts of the continent and a large disjunct population in Norway and Sweden. Despite the increasing population size, the role of the beaver as a source of waterborne pathogens is not firmly established or is often inferred from circumstantial data. In order to extend knowledge about the composition of the parasite fauna of beavers occurring in Slovakia, 21 faecal samples taken near their burrows from three sites (located in the Topľa, Poprad and Danube river basin) were examined microscopically and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR-positive specimens were further examined by DNA sequencing. Parasites were detected in 21% of the examined beavers, specifically the protozoa Cryptosporidium spp. (n = 2), Blastocystis sp. (n = 1), and microsporidia Enterocytozoon bieneusi (n = 1) and Encephalitozoon spp. (n = 1). Using the sequence analysis, two variants of Cryptosporidium proliferans, a new subtype of Blastocystis sp., genotype D of E. bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis were identified. A putatively novel Blastocystis subtype (ST), originated from a site near the Danube river (southwestern Slovakia), was proposed based on high genetic divergence from the closest described subtype ST12 (11.9%) and unique phylogenetic position in a clade composed of ST's 35-38. The increased risk of zoonotic transmission or transmission to other animals was particularly evident in the site near the Topľa river (northeastern Slovakia), where fungal spores of zoonotic genotype D of E. bieneusi and E. intestinalis, together with oocysts of the potentially zoonotic C. proliferans, were found.

• Klíčová slova
• Gastrointestinal parasites, Molecular analysis, Protected animals, Protozoan, Rodents, Zoonoses,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is a well-established faunal element in the Czech Republic, even though, historically, its populations were almost eradicated in this region. Nowadays, its distribution and population density are well monitored; nonetheless, the beaver's parasites, as potential threats to the environment, are often neglected in wildlife management. Therefore, we investigated the endoparasitic helminth diversity of 15 beaver individuals from three collection sites in the Czech Republic. Three parasite species were collected: Stichorchis subtriquetrus (Digenea), Travassosius rufus, and Calodium hepaticum (Nematoda), of which the two nematode species were reported for the first time from C. fiber in the Czech Republic. The highest prevalence and intensity of infection were observed in S. subtriquetrus (P = 93%, I = 1-138), while the two other species were collected only from one beaver individual. Subsequent analysis of the genetic diversity of the specimens using highly variable genetic markers revealed a weak population structure among the individuals collected from different beaver hosts. There was only a weak association of COI haplotypes with geography, as the haplotypes from the Berounka basin formed homogeneous groups, and individuals from the Dyje basin and Morava partially shared a haplotype. Even though common population genetic markers (i.e., microsatellites) did not reveal any structure in the hosts, our results suggest that the genetic diversity of their parasites may shed more light on population partition and the historical migration routes of Eurasian beavers.

• Klíčová slova
• Genetic diversity, Parasite spill-over, Population genetics, Reintroduction,
• MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• hlodavci MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Trematoda * MeSH
• Trichostrongyloidea * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH