Blood parasites (Babesia, Hepatozoon and Trypanosoma) of rodents, Lithuania: part I. Molecular and traditional microscopy approach.

Wild rodents, as natural reservoir hosts carrying various species of pathogens, play an important role in the evolution and emergence of zoonotic diseases. In this study, protist parasites, namely Babesia sp., Trypanosoma sp. and Hepatozoon sp. were studied in rodent populations in Lithuania. Two hundred forty rodent specimens of seven species were analysed by a combined approach using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques and traditional microscopic examination. The total prevalence of blood parasites reached 35% in rodent communities. The prevalence of Hepatozoon sp. reached the highest value (32%), followed by Trypanosoma sp. (5%) and Babesia sp. (3%). Myodes glareolus and Microtus agrestis were the most heavily infected rodent species. Comparison of microscopy and PCR-based methods showed that the two approaches might give different results and thus can lead to an underestimation of the actual prevalence and abundance of parasites. In our study, PCR-based assays were more sensitive and robust than traditional microscopy. However, precise molecular results for the estimation of the prevalence of Babesia sp. and Hepatozoon sp. were achieved only by using several sets of primers. To avoid inaccurate results, the improvement and detailed description of molecular and microscopy protocols are required.