Dr. Kassai Tibor - Dr. Murai Éva szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 6. (Budapest, 1973)

Parasit. Hung. 6- 1973. Population Density of Small Vertebrates and their Role as Hosts of Ticks NOSEK, J. — CERNY, V. — GULYÁS, M. - MOLNÁR, E. — ERNEK, E. — KOZUCH, O. — LABUDA, M. Institute of Virology SAS, Bratislava — National Institute of Public Health, Budapest "Population Density of Small Vertebrates and their Role as Hosts of Ticks" - Hosek, J., Cerny, V-, Gulyás, M., Molnár, E., Ernek, E., Kozuch, 0., Labuda, M. - Parasit. Hung. 6. 239-246. 1973. In Central European TBE foci small mammals, such as bank vole, yellow necked mouse and long-tailed fieldmouse»are the main hosts for Ixodes ricinus larvae. Birds are the main hosts of nymphs in natural foci of the theriodic type; small rodents and insectivores may be the main hosts of nymphs in TBE foci of the therio-boskematic type. As a rule small insectivores contribute less to the level of population density of ticks than do small rodents. Por maintenance of the virus and the tick population in an elementary focus of TBE only those host-populations are of importance which coincide with the seasonal and spatial incidence of ticks. Very high population density of nymphs and adult ticks, over 600 specimens for 100 square meters, was observed in grazing forests and in ecotone pasture-forest in regions with game keeping

. In the whole distribution area of natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) of Western subtype, of basic importance as very frequent maintenance hosts (reservoirs) of the virus are small insectivores: common shrew Sorex araneus, European mole Talpa europaea and small rodents such as bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus,which are in some places associated with yellow necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis and long-tailed fieldmouse Apodemus sylvaticus. At the same time the range of hosts of the Ixodes ricinus tick, which is considered to be the main