Detection of European bat lyssavirus 2 (EBLV-2) in a Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) from Magdeburg, Germany.

In Europe bat rabies in Daubenton's bats (Myotisdaubentonii) and in Pond bats (Myotis dasycneme) caused by the European bat lyssavirus 2 (EBLV-2) has been confirmed in less than 20 cases to date. Here we report the second encounter of this virus species in Germany. A Daubenton's bat found grounded in the zoological garden in Magdeburg died shortly after.

Mitochondrial phylogeography of the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber L.

Nucleotide variation in an approximately 490 bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA CR) was used to describe the genetic variation and phylogeographical pattern in the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) over its entire range. The sampling effort was focused on the relict populations that survived a drastic population bottleneck, caused by overhunting, at the end of the 19th century. A total of 152 individuals grouped into eight populations representing all currently recognized subspecies were studied.

Organochlorine contaminants in body tissue of free-ranging white-tailed eagles from northern regions of Germany.

Concentrations of the organochlorine pesticides hexachlorobenzene (HCB), gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH), DDT and its metabolite p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and seven polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were analyzed in livers and adipose tissue samples of 145 white-tailed eagles found dead or moribund in Germany from 1979 to 2001. Most birds were found in the region of the former German Democratic Republic where the insecticide DDT was used until 1988. Therefore, our samples represent mainly residue data of specimens following the ban of DDT in these regions.