Pneumocystosis in wild small mammals from California

Juha Laakkonen; Robert N. Fisher; Ted J. Case

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-37.2.408

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Pneumocystosis in wild small mammals from California

Juha Laakkonen·Robert N. Fisher·Ted J. Case

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Abstract

Cyst forms of the opportunistic fungal parasite Pneumocystis carinii were found in the lungs of 34% of the desert shrew, Notiosorex crawfordi ( n = 59), 13% of the ornate shrew, Sorex ornatus ( n = 55), 6% of the dusky-footed wood rat, Neotoma fuscipes ( n = 16), 2.5% of the California meadow vole, Microtus californicus ( n = 40), and 50% of the California pocket mouse, Chaetodipus californicus ( n = 2) caught from southern California between February 1998 and February 2000. Cysts were not found in any of the harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis ( n = 21), California mouse, Peromyscus californicus ( n = 20), brush mouse, Peromyscus boylii ( n = 7) or deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus ( n = 4) examined. All infections were mild; extrapulmonary infections were not observed. Other lung parasites detected were Hepatozoon sp./spp. from M. californicus and Notiosorex crawfordi , Chrysosporium sp. (Emmonsia) from M. californicus , and a nematode from S. ornatus .

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Source-reported bounding extent: 32.492181791734566° to 37.022752229716076° latitude; -122.19549018291437° to -114.10600686936226° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Juha Laakkonen, Robert N. Fisher, Ted J. Case. 2001. Pneumocystosis in wild small mammals from California. https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-37.2.408

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