Micronucleus Frequency In Rodents With Blood Parasites

Some parasites cause a genotoxic effect and induce micronuclei in cells of their rodent hosts. The rodents are frequently used for assessment of environmental pollution; therefore, it is crucial to know whether the genetic damage is due to xenobiotics presenting in their environment or is a result of parasite infection. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential link between blood parasites and micronucleus frequencies in erythrocytes of wild rodent populations from anthropogenic impacted and background regions. Individuals of Macedonian mouse Mus macedonicus Petrov & Ruzic, 1983, yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior, 1834) and common vole Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778) from heavy metal contaminated region and individuals of striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius (Pallas, 1771) and A. flavicollis from area with low anthropogenic impact have been studied. In all Apodemus populations, we registered non-identified bacterial infections with Bartonella spp., in M. arvalis - infections with Babesia microti-like piroplasms and Bartonella sp., and in M. macedonicus - infection with trypanosomes (Trypanosoma musculi) and Bartonella sp. No statistically significant difference (p >= 0.05) between the average micronucleus frequency of the infected and non-infected animals inhabiting both polluted and unpolluted regions has been proven. The results show that the observed blood parasites cannot be associated with the induction of micronuclei in erythrocytes of the studied rodents. This provides justification to include rodents with the recorded protozoan and bacterial infections in biomonitoring studies for assessment of genotoxicity in contaminated areas.