BackgroundFilarial infections have been understudied in bats. Likewise, little is known about pat... more BackgroundFilarial infections have been understudied in bats. Likewise, little is known about pathogens associated with the reproductive system in chiropterans. While semen quality is critical for reproductive success, semen-borne pathogens may contribute to reproductive failure.MethodsFor the first time we performed electroejaculation and used computer-assisted semen analysis to provide baseline data on semen quality in a parti-coloured bat (Vespertilio murinus).ResultsThe semen quality values measured in the V. murinus male appeared high (semen concentration = 305.4 × 106/mL; progressive and motile sperm = 46.58 and 60.27%, respectively). As an incidental finding, however, microfilariae were observed in the bat semen examined. At necropsy, eight adult filarial worms, later genetically identified as Litomosa sp., were found in the peritoneal cavity, close to the stomach, of the same particoloured bat male dying as a result of dysmicrobia and haemorrhagic gastroenteritis in a wildli...
As temperatures drop and fish metabolism slows, cyprinids are generally assumed to form dense, st... more As temperatures drop and fish metabolism slows, cyprinids are generally assumed to form dense, static shoals or migrate to suitable sites up tributaries to reduce predation risk. Using telemetry, common bream Abramis brama (L.) were observed to remain active and (presumably) foraged throughout winter in an area in the middle of an 8‐m‐deep valley reservoir coinciding with a 3–5 m zone of warmer, oxygenated water below an inverse thermocline. Tagged bream appeared to avoid cold, shallow zones (<1.5 m) at the inlet and banks and the deepest zone (5–8 m) near the dam/outlet, possibly due to poor food availability. Under certain conditions, bream populations showed higher levels of winter activity (and feeding) than previously assumed, with implications for both reservoir fisheries management and future studies assessing cyprinid behaviour, energy budgets and diet in lakes and reservoirs.
Bats are host ancestors of several viruses that cause serious disease in humans, as illustrated b... more Bats are host ancestors of several viruses that cause serious disease in humans, as illustrated by the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Progress in investigating bat-virus interactions has been hampered by a limited number of available bat cellular models.
Primers and amplification conditions for genes with a skin integrity or water metabolism function... more Primers and amplification conditions for genes with a skin integrity or water metabolism function. Primer pairs were designed for genes expressed in Myotis myotis with white-nose syndrome (Accession numbers: SRX2270325, SRX2266671). (XLSX 47 kb)
Host traits and phylogeny can determine infection risk by driving pathogen transmission and its a... more Host traits and phylogeny can determine infection risk by driving pathogen transmission and its ability to infect new hosts. Predicting such risks is critical when designing disease mitigation strategies, and especially as regards wildlife, where intensive management is often advocated or prevented by economic and/or practical reasons. We investigated Pseudogymnoascus [Geomyces] destructans infection, the cause of white-nose syndrome (WNS), in relation to chiropteran ecology, behaviour and phylogenetics. While this fungus has caused devastating declines in North American bat populations, there have been no apparent population changes attributable to the disease in Europe. We screened 276 bats of 15 species from hibernacula in the Czech Republic over 2012 and 2013, and provided histopathological evidence for 11 European species positive for WNS. With the exception of Myotis myotis, the other ten species are all new reports for WNS in Europe. Of these, M. emarginatus, Eptesicus nilsso...
Background: The success of animal reproduction is impacted by a trade-off between energetic costs... more Background: The success of animal reproduction is impacted by a trade-off between energetic costs and mortality associated with immediate vs. future reproductive attempts. The reproductive strategies of European insectivorous bats differ from common mammalian standards due to the use of delayed fertilisation. Phenology of bat reproduction, including length of pregnancy, which may vary in the same species at different latitudes, between years at the same site or between individuals within a colony, is influenced by ecological conditions. To assess factors influencing the course of pregnancy we evaluated levels of blood progesterone in 20 female noctule bats Nyctalus noctula. The bats were individually tagged and randomly divided into two groups with different hibernation ending points (i.e. a control group vs. a treatment group with one week longer hibernation). Following emergence from hibernation, the bats were kept in a wooden box at a stable temperature of 22°C. Results: One fema...
Artificial insemination (AI) is the most frequently used assisted reproductive technique for capt... more Artificial insemination (AI) is the most frequently used assisted reproductive technique for captive propagation of rare avian species. As semen quality is critical for reproductive success, baseline data are needed for evaluating and selecting the best male bird donors. To this end, we used computer-assisted semen analysis to assess male eastern imperial eagles (n = 7), northern goshawks (n = 24) and peregrine falcons (n = 20). While imperial eagles and northern goshawks donate ejaculate voluntarily, peregrine falcons required cloacal massage. Eight peregrine falcon females were inseminated with semen from eight males, with fresh ejaculates (15 to 50 µl) applied to the pars uterina of the oviduct immediately after collection and examination. All females were inseminated within 2 h of laying an egg. A fertilization rate of 70% was achieved using this method. Minimum semen characteristics associated with egg fertilization included a semen concentration of 115.12 × 106/ml, 33.52% tota...
Additional file 1 Table S1. Supporting information data (log-transformed) on blood parameters and... more Additional file 1 Table S1. Supporting information data (log-transformed) on blood parameters and phagocyte activity in Myotis myotis, Nyctalus noctula and Mus musculus.
Zvolen 12.-13.10.2007, Výskum a ochrana cicavcov na Slovensku, 8. celostatni odborna konference s... more Zvolen 12.-13.10.2007, Výskum a ochrana cicavcov na Slovensku, 8. celostatni odborna konference s mezinarodni ucasti,neni abstrakt
Druhy severoamerických netopýrů trpicich syndromem bileho nosu (WNS) vykazuji významne odlisnosti... more Druhy severoamerických netopýrů trpicich syndromem bileho nosu (WNS) vykazuji významne odlisnosti od zdravých jedinců v hibernacnim chovani. Nasim cilem byl dlouhodobý monitoring hibernujicich netopýrů, který by ukazal, zda je toto chovani odlisne u netopýrů s WNS v CR. Pomoci termokamer a fotopasti jsme během dvou zim monitorovali shluky netopýra velkeho (Myotis myotis) na dvou lokalitach, ve Stolach pod Jeleni cestou (Jeseniky) a v Kateřinske jeskyni (Moravský kras). V průběhu hibernace jsme zjistili předevsim udalosti souvisejici s ohřatim jedince ci skupiny netopýrů vedouci k normotermii (normotermicke udalosti). Větsina normotermických udalosti (64,4%) delkou nepřesahla 1,5 hodiny. Normotermicke udalosti nebyly s koncem zimy castějsi, jak je charakteristicke u netopýrů s WNS v Severni Americe. Zapojeni větsiho poctu jedinců do udalosti se ve větsině připadů projevilo jako kaskadový efekt. Udalosti s kaskadovým efektem byly obecně dele trvajici. Doba normotermicke udalosti se zvysovala s velikosti skupiny respektive podilem aktivnich jedinců. Maximalni teplota během udalosti se lisila mezi lokalitami a roky. Nase výsledky ukazuji na odlisnosti v hibernacnim chovani netopýrů s WNS mezi CR a Severni Amerikou a soucasně vyzdvihuji specificke role klimatu a lokalit, ktere ovlivňuji průběh hibernace.
BackgroundFilarial infections have been understudied in bats. Likewise, little is known about pat... more BackgroundFilarial infections have been understudied in bats. Likewise, little is known about pathogens associated with the reproductive system in chiropterans. While semen quality is critical for reproductive success, semen-borne pathogens may contribute to reproductive failure.MethodsFor the first time we performed electroejaculation and used computer-assisted semen analysis to provide baseline data on semen quality in a parti-coloured bat (Vespertilio murinus).ResultsThe semen quality values measured in the V. murinus male appeared high (semen concentration = 305.4 × 106/mL; progressive and motile sperm = 46.58 and 60.27%, respectively). As an incidental finding, however, microfilariae were observed in the bat semen examined. At necropsy, eight adult filarial worms, later genetically identified as Litomosa sp., were found in the peritoneal cavity, close to the stomach, of the same particoloured bat male dying as a result of dysmicrobia and haemorrhagic gastroenteritis in a wildli...
As temperatures drop and fish metabolism slows, cyprinids are generally assumed to form dense, st... more As temperatures drop and fish metabolism slows, cyprinids are generally assumed to form dense, static shoals or migrate to suitable sites up tributaries to reduce predation risk. Using telemetry, common bream Abramis brama (L.) were observed to remain active and (presumably) foraged throughout winter in an area in the middle of an 8‐m‐deep valley reservoir coinciding with a 3–5 m zone of warmer, oxygenated water below an inverse thermocline. Tagged bream appeared to avoid cold, shallow zones (<1.5 m) at the inlet and banks and the deepest zone (5–8 m) near the dam/outlet, possibly due to poor food availability. Under certain conditions, bream populations showed higher levels of winter activity (and feeding) than previously assumed, with implications for both reservoir fisheries management and future studies assessing cyprinid behaviour, energy budgets and diet in lakes and reservoirs.
Bats are host ancestors of several viruses that cause serious disease in humans, as illustrated b... more Bats are host ancestors of several viruses that cause serious disease in humans, as illustrated by the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Progress in investigating bat-virus interactions has been hampered by a limited number of available bat cellular models.
Primers and amplification conditions for genes with a skin integrity or water metabolism function... more Primers and amplification conditions for genes with a skin integrity or water metabolism function. Primer pairs were designed for genes expressed in Myotis myotis with white-nose syndrome (Accession numbers: SRX2270325, SRX2266671). (XLSX 47 kb)
Host traits and phylogeny can determine infection risk by driving pathogen transmission and its a... more Host traits and phylogeny can determine infection risk by driving pathogen transmission and its ability to infect new hosts. Predicting such risks is critical when designing disease mitigation strategies, and especially as regards wildlife, where intensive management is often advocated or prevented by economic and/or practical reasons. We investigated Pseudogymnoascus [Geomyces] destructans infection, the cause of white-nose syndrome (WNS), in relation to chiropteran ecology, behaviour and phylogenetics. While this fungus has caused devastating declines in North American bat populations, there have been no apparent population changes attributable to the disease in Europe. We screened 276 bats of 15 species from hibernacula in the Czech Republic over 2012 and 2013, and provided histopathological evidence for 11 European species positive for WNS. With the exception of Myotis myotis, the other ten species are all new reports for WNS in Europe. Of these, M. emarginatus, Eptesicus nilsso...
Background: The success of animal reproduction is impacted by a trade-off between energetic costs... more Background: The success of animal reproduction is impacted by a trade-off between energetic costs and mortality associated with immediate vs. future reproductive attempts. The reproductive strategies of European insectivorous bats differ from common mammalian standards due to the use of delayed fertilisation. Phenology of bat reproduction, including length of pregnancy, which may vary in the same species at different latitudes, between years at the same site or between individuals within a colony, is influenced by ecological conditions. To assess factors influencing the course of pregnancy we evaluated levels of blood progesterone in 20 female noctule bats Nyctalus noctula. The bats were individually tagged and randomly divided into two groups with different hibernation ending points (i.e. a control group vs. a treatment group with one week longer hibernation). Following emergence from hibernation, the bats were kept in a wooden box at a stable temperature of 22°C. Results: One fema...
Artificial insemination (AI) is the most frequently used assisted reproductive technique for capt... more Artificial insemination (AI) is the most frequently used assisted reproductive technique for captive propagation of rare avian species. As semen quality is critical for reproductive success, baseline data are needed for evaluating and selecting the best male bird donors. To this end, we used computer-assisted semen analysis to assess male eastern imperial eagles (n = 7), northern goshawks (n = 24) and peregrine falcons (n = 20). While imperial eagles and northern goshawks donate ejaculate voluntarily, peregrine falcons required cloacal massage. Eight peregrine falcon females were inseminated with semen from eight males, with fresh ejaculates (15 to 50 µl) applied to the pars uterina of the oviduct immediately after collection and examination. All females were inseminated within 2 h of laying an egg. A fertilization rate of 70% was achieved using this method. Minimum semen characteristics associated with egg fertilization included a semen concentration of 115.12 × 106/ml, 33.52% tota...
Additional file 1 Table S1. Supporting information data (log-transformed) on blood parameters and... more Additional file 1 Table S1. Supporting information data (log-transformed) on blood parameters and phagocyte activity in Myotis myotis, Nyctalus noctula and Mus musculus.
Zvolen 12.-13.10.2007, Výskum a ochrana cicavcov na Slovensku, 8. celostatni odborna konference s... more Zvolen 12.-13.10.2007, Výskum a ochrana cicavcov na Slovensku, 8. celostatni odborna konference s mezinarodni ucasti,neni abstrakt
Druhy severoamerických netopýrů trpicich syndromem bileho nosu (WNS) vykazuji významne odlisnosti... more Druhy severoamerických netopýrů trpicich syndromem bileho nosu (WNS) vykazuji významne odlisnosti od zdravých jedinců v hibernacnim chovani. Nasim cilem byl dlouhodobý monitoring hibernujicich netopýrů, který by ukazal, zda je toto chovani odlisne u netopýrů s WNS v CR. Pomoci termokamer a fotopasti jsme během dvou zim monitorovali shluky netopýra velkeho (Myotis myotis) na dvou lokalitach, ve Stolach pod Jeleni cestou (Jeseniky) a v Kateřinske jeskyni (Moravský kras). V průběhu hibernace jsme zjistili předevsim udalosti souvisejici s ohřatim jedince ci skupiny netopýrů vedouci k normotermii (normotermicke udalosti). Větsina normotermických udalosti (64,4%) delkou nepřesahla 1,5 hodiny. Normotermicke udalosti nebyly s koncem zimy castějsi, jak je charakteristicke u netopýrů s WNS v Severni Americe. Zapojeni větsiho poctu jedinců do udalosti se ve větsině připadů projevilo jako kaskadový efekt. Udalosti s kaskadovým efektem byly obecně dele trvajici. Doba normotermicke udalosti se zvysovala s velikosti skupiny respektive podilem aktivnich jedinců. Maximalni teplota během udalosti se lisila mezi lokalitami a roky. Nase výsledky ukazuji na odlisnosti v hibernacnim chovani netopýrů s WNS mezi CR a Severni Amerikou a soucasně vyzdvihuji specificke role klimatu a lokalit, ktere ovlivňuji průběh hibernace.
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