Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40676612›Full record

ArticleBMC veterinary research2025

Seasonal population dynamics and dietary switching of Vulpes spp. amplify Echinococcus spp. transmission in the Eastern Tibetan plateau: implications for wildlife-mediated zoonotic risks.

Xu Wang, Chuizhao Xue, Xueying Deng, Qilu Chen, Chunyang Li, Baixue Liu, Ying Wang, Yan Kui, Qingqiu Zuo, Jianhai Yin and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC veterinary research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Winter is coming … How the hoarding behaviour of rodents fosters the persistence ofInternational journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Xu WangNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China.
Chuizhao XueNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China.
Xueying DengChengdu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu, 610041, China.
Qilu ChenAnhui Provincial Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, Anhui Provincial Academy of Preventive Medicine, Anhui Provincial Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Hefei, 230601, China.
Chunyang LiTianjin Cancer Hospital Airport Hospital, Tianjin, 300308, China.
Baixue LiuNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China.
Ying WangNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China.
Yan KuiNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China.
Qingqiu ZuoNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China.
Jianhai YinNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China.
Shuai HanNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China. hanshuai@nipd.chinacdc.cn.
Yujuan ShenNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China. shenyj@nipd.chinacdc.cn.
Jianping CaoNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Biology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, 200025, China. caojp@chinacdc.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82272369National Natural Science Foundation of China 82404325NHC Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis Prevention and Control 2023WZK1002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEchinococcosis, a severe zoonosis caused by Echinococcus spp., poses a significant public health challenge in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. This study aimed to investigate the interplay among seasonal shifts in definitive host ecology (Vulpes ferrilata and V. vulpes), dietary shifts, and infections with E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus within a high-altitude ecosystem.

resultsStatistical analyses revealed that V. ferrilata dominated the local fox community (90.48%, n = 441), with the highest number of samples collected in fall (46.49%), likely linked to dispersal behaviors after the breeding season. Dietary analysis showed a strong predation preference, with lagomorphs (primarily Ochotona curzoniae) accounting for 79.57% (74/93) of the diet. There was also a significant seasonal shift: among Vulpes spp., the consumption of rodents increased to 26.92% in the fall from being absent in the summer. This dietary diversification correlated with seasonal resource scarcity, driving foxes to exploit alternative prey. The infection rates of Echinococcus in V. ferrilata displayed the U-shaped seasonal patterns. Specifically, the infections of E. multilocularis peaked in the fall (12.29%), which was significantly higher than that in the spring (2.38%) and summer (0.74%), showing a positive correlation with the predation proportion on rodents (R = 0.61, P = 0.036). Meanwhile, E. shiquicus infections peaked in fall (29.32%) and dipped in summer (17.65%), but showed no dietary association, suggesting alternative transmission factors.

conclusionsThese findings highlight that seasonal prey switching amplifies E. multilocularis transmission by increasing fox exposure to infected voles. The competitive pressure during resource-limited periods drives a shift in the predation strategies of the definitive hosts, inadvertently exacerbating the zoonotic risks of alveolar echinococcosis. The study underscores the importance of seasonally targeted interventions, providing a scientific foundation for alleviating echinococcosis in high-altitude regions under climate change pressures.

Indexed as

DietEchinococcosisEchinococcusFoxesAnimalsEchinococcus multilocularisPopulation DynamicsPredatory BehaviorSeasonsTibetZoonosesDietaryEchinococcosisEchinococcusHostSeasonVulpes

Identifiers

PMID40676612
PMCPMC12273311

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.