Small mammals are important reservoirs for pathogens in military conflicts and peacekeeping operations all over the world. This study investigates the rodent communities in three military bases in Northern Afghanistan. Small mammals were collected in this conflict zone as part of Army pest control measures from 2009 to 2012 and identified phenotypically as well as by molecular biological methods. The analysis of the collected small mammals showed that their communities are heavily dominated by the house mouse Mus musculus and to a lesser extent Cricetulus migratorius and Meriones libycus. The origin of M. musculus specimens was analyzed by DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and D-loop sequences. All animals tested belonged to the Mus musculus musculus subspecies indigenous to Afghanistan. The results were supported by detection of two nucleotide exchanges in the DNA polymerase gene of Mus musculus Rhadinovirus 1 (MmusRHV1), a herpesvirus, which is specific for all gene sequences from Afghan house mice, but absent in the MmusRHV1 sequences of German and British house mice. Studies of astrovirus RNA polymerase gene sequences did not yield sufficient resolution power for a similarly conclusive result. House mouse populations in military camps in Northern Afghanistan are indigenous and have not been imported from Europe. Nucleotide sequence polymorphisms in MmusRHV1 DNA polymerase gene might be used as an additional phylogeographic marker for house mice.

中文翻译：

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在阿富汗北部军事基地中，土著家鼠在小型哺乳动物群落中占主导地位

小型哺乳动物是全世界军事冲突和维持和平行动中病原体的重要储存库。这项研究调查了阿富汗北部三个军事基地的啮齿动物群落。从2009年至2012年，在该冲突地区收集了小型哺乳动物作为陆军虫害防治措施的一部分，并在表型和分子生物学方法上进行了鉴定。对收集到的小型哺乳动物的分析表明，它们的群落主要由家鼠小家鼠（Mus musculus）和小范围的C游rator（Cricetulus migratorius）和Meriones libycus主导。通过线粒体细胞色素b基因和D环序列的DNA测序分析了小家鼠标本的起源。测试的所有动物均属于阿富汗本土的小家鼠小亚种。通过检测小肠疱疹小家鼠鼠病毒Rhdinovirus 1（MmusRHV1）的DNA聚合酶基因中的两个核苷酸交换，该结果对阿富汗家鼠的所有基因序列均具有特异性，但德国和英国家鼠的MmusRHV1序列中不存在老鼠。对星状病毒RNA聚合酶基因序列的研究没有产生足够的分辨率，以得出类似的结论性结果。阿富汗北部军事营地的家鼠种群是土著，并非从欧洲进口。MmusRHV1 DNA聚合酶基因中的核苷酸序列多态性可作为家鼠的另外一种系统地理标记。但在德国和英国家鼠的MmusRHV1序列中却没有。对星状病毒RNA聚合酶基因序列的研究没有产生足够的分辨率，以得出类似的结论性结果。阿富汗北部军事营地的家鼠种群是土著，并非从欧洲进口。MmusRHV1 DNA聚合酶基因中的核苷酸序列多态性可作为家鼠的另外一种系统地理标记。但在德国和英国家鼠的MmusRHV1序列中却没有。对星状病毒RNA聚合酶基因序列的研究没有产生足够的分辨率，以得出类似的结论性结果。阿富汗北部军事营地的家鼠种群是土著，并非从欧洲进口。MmusRHV1 DNA聚合酶基因中的核苷酸序列多态性可作为家鼠的另外一种系统地理标记。