Leptospirosis and Foxes

 Abstract from Acute lethal leptospirosis in a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) Journal of Comparative Pathology Volume 201, February 2023, Pages 77-80

Author links open overlay panel, , Nenad Turk b, , 

Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic spirochaetes belonging to the genus Leptospira, is a globally distributed zoonosis that can affect many species of domestic and wild animals, and humans. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a native species in Croatia and, due to constant food availability and lack of interspecies competition, is becoming more abundant in urban and suburban areas. 

Although antibodies for Leptospira spp have been detected in red foxes, lethal disease has not been reported. We necropsied a young, male red fox that had jaundice, multifocal haemorrhages in the heart, lungs and urinary bladder, hepatomegaly, non congestive splenomegaly and slight yellow discolouration of the renal cortex and medulla. Histology revealed multifocal haemorrhages in parenchymal organs, thrombi within lung septal capillaries and other blood vessels, interstitial lymphocytic and plasmacytic nephritis and erosions of the gastric mucosa. 

A microscopic agglutination test on the post-mortem cardiac blood clot revealed a high titre to Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae, which implies contact with rats, which are natural reservoirs of this serovar in Croatia. 

The gross and histological findings in this fox were similar to those in dogs with leptospirosis, indicating that fatal leptospirosis can occur in foxes and suggesting that this species can act as a source of infection for other animals and humans.

Ljungan Virus and Foxes

 

 Ljungan Virus is quite "a thing" at the moment with a lot of research being carried out -not for wildlife health but human -that attracts the money.

With our necropsy study we found that babesia and leptospirosis were heavy hitters amongst foxes so it  only makes sense that as foxes main prey are rodents such as rats, voles, etc I at least mention the topic (it has been noted in Red Foxes but sadly the UK is far from open when it comes to research papers -unlike the US or Europe.

From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ljungan_virus

Ljungan virus was first discovered in the mid-1990s after being isolated from a bank vole near the Ljungan river in Medelpad county, Sweden.^[2] It has since been established that Ljungan virus, which is also found in several places in Europe and America, causes serious illness in wild as well as laboratory animals.^[3][4][5][6] Several scientific articles have recently reported findings indicating that Ljungan virus is associated with malformations, intrauterine fetal death, and sudden infant death syndrome in humans.^{[7][8][9][10]} In addition, studies are being conducted worldwide to investigate the possible connection of the virus to diabetes, neurological and other illnesses in humans.^[11][12]

Ljungan virus belongs to the genus Parechovirus of the family Picornaviridae. Other members of this viral family include poliovirus, Hepatitis A virus, and the viruses that cause the common cold (rhinovirus).^[13] One of the earliest scientific discoveries regarding Ljungan virus was that infected wild rodents developed diabetes if they were exposed to stress.^[14] This has led to speculation that this disease may be the underlying cause of fluctuating rodent populations in Scandinavia; when rodents increase to high densities, they find it difficult to defend territory and obtain food, and then become more susceptible to predation. This stressful situation results in disease, death and population decline, leading to a pattern of cyclic variation in population size over time.^[4]

There was a 2014 paper (see abstract below)

Ljungan virus is endemic in rodents in the UK

Anne-Marie Salisbury 1, Michael Begon, Winifred Dove, Bo Niklasson, James P Stewart

. 2014 Mar;159(3):547-51.

 doi: 10.1007/s00705-013-1731-6. Epub 2013 May 12.

abstract

"Ljungan virus is a recently identified member of the family Picornaviridae that was isolated from bank voles in Sweden. LjV has been associated with [corrected] type 1 diabetes-like symptoms and myocarditis in bank voles (Myodes glareolus), and it has been suggested that it has zoonotic potential. 

"Here, we show for the first time that Ljungan virus is prevalent (20-27 % positive by PCR) in four species of UK rodent (Myodes glareolus [bank vole], Apodemus sylvaticus [wood mouse], Microtus agrestis [field vole] and Mus musculus [house mouse]). 

"Sequence analysis showed that Ljungan virus of genotypes 1 and 2 were present, although genotype 1 was more prevalent and more frequently associated with brain tissue.

"This study highlights the prevalence of Ljungan virus in the UK and the need for assessment [corrected] of its zoonotic potential."

Depressing Figures

 Total KNOWN dead foxes and badgers up to 10 04 2026

 Foxes 93

Badgers 30

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius infection

 In the paper Staphylococcus pseudintermedius infection Pyometra bij een vos (Vulpes vulpes) veroorzaakt door een infectie met Staphylococcus   pseudintermedius;  Dierengezondheidszorg Vlaan in Red Foxesderen (DGZ), Industrielaan 29, B-8820 Torhout Stefan.Roels@sciensano.be, submitted by N. Caliskan, A. Vandekerckhove, E. Rolly, E. Forrez, S. Roels, it is noted that:

"An adult female fox found dead in a field in Flanders (Belgium) was brought in for autopsy. The uterus was remarkably enlarged with dilation of the right horn tip and dilations of the myometrium of the left horn. The lumen of the uterus was filled with greenish-yellow pasty contents. Bacteriological examination of these contents resulted in a pure culture of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. 

"The diagnosis of pyometra caused by S. pseudintermedius was made. Pyometra in wild canids has rarely been described. It is assumed that the cause of death is similar to that in dogs, namely septic shock. According to the authors, this is the first described case of closed pyometra with isolation of S. pseudointermedius in an adult fox".

Before it was officially suppressed, the Bristol Fox Deaths Project founas d a number of never before noted health issues with foxes. Pyometra was not one of them although I suspected a case in the Midlands in 2021 may have been. Others we can only look back on and wonder whether they were pyometra cases. No study similar to that in Bristol had ever been undertaken in the UK -a dead fox was a dead fox and held no interest for vets as it was after all a wild animal with no one footing the bill for a necropsy.

Looking back at my notes it is possible that there were other cases but not sub mitted for necropsy as no one was available to collect.

It now appears, if the vet is correct, that we have such a case from Bristol. Fox health and welfare is still in early stages but there is hope!

Was it a paid for study in disease spread in foxes?

I have waited since the 16th March, 2026 for a response from Bristol University regarding the very prevalent rumour that its old Mammal Group deliberately spread mange in the fox population. See https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2026/03/was-mange-deliberately-spread-in.html    

I have never known any organisation so unwilling to just scrap rumours like this. I have tried to get a response from Bristol University since 2020. Nothing.

Is it possible that they were responsible for the decimation of all but 6% of Bristol foxes? I have no idea but it has often been mooted that foxes in the UK being spread out in towns, cities and countryside (despite falling population numbers) are the ideal animal to monitor to see how  disease might spread. 

Although we have not had rabies (apart from travellers returning infected from outside the UK) since the 1920s in the UK there has always been rabies scares -as in the 1970s. "How fast could rabies spread in the UK from an infected fox?" Well, hopefully no one is insane enough to test that!  

In the paper The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) as a source of zoonoses Valeria Letkova et al note:

  

"The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most widespread and abundant predator on earth, living in almost all habitats of the Northern Hemisphere, such as woodlands, mountains, deserts or even suburban and urban environments. Moreover, the red fox is the main carrier and vector species of the most important endemic zoonoses, as fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, Toxocara canis and nematode Trichinella spp. This makes the fox a highly controversial and emotional species with great potential public involvement and of fundamental importance as far as management issues are concerned."

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most widespread and abundant predator on earth, living in almost from VETERINARSKI ARHIV 76 (Suppl.), S73-S81, 2006 

all habitats of the Northern Hemisphere, such as woodlands, mountains, deserts or even suburban and urban Although most studies in the 2000s are looking at parasite spread for various reasons in the pre 2000 era virulent disease was a concern. Was mange used as a substitute for rabies to see how fast it could spread? 

The big problem I have is how the mange in 1994/1995 spread throughout the Bristol fox population as quickly as it did. Foxes are territorial and so do not travel all over a city and one the size of Bristol would need an infected at the centre of population in North, South, East and West Bristol for it to spread so fast and quickly.

Was it a paid for study in disease spread in foxes?

Incompetent Wildwood Trust Kent Slaughters Wolf Pack

  Another establishment which is so badly run that it decides to slaughter an entire wolf pack. How long will this go on/

Wildwood in Kent should be banned from keeping any wolves in future.

The statement:

Those who have visited the park will be aware that the wolf area has recently been closed.

There has been a severe escalation in aggressive behaviour within the Wildwood Kent wolf pack, resulting in multiple life-threatening injuries.

Due to the volatility within the pack, our team has been unable to safely intervene or provide the level of veterinary care required.

We are deeply saddened to share that, following this serious and rapid breakdown in pack dynamics, the decision was made to euthanise our wolf pack this morning.

This decision has been made following detailed discussions between our experienced animal management team and veterinary professionals.

Anyone familiar with Wildwood's work will know that animal welfare is always our highest priority. Euthanasia is only ever considered as a last resort. Over a prolonged period, extensive efforts have been made to manage the pack, support individuals, and prevent escalation. However, the situation presented an ongoing and unacceptable risk to welfare, and we were no longer able to ensure the safety or quality of life of the animals within the group.

The park was closed during this time to allow this to be carried out safely, calmly, and with the respect these animals deserve.

This is an incredibly difficult moment for our team. We are all heartbroken. Many of our staff have cared for these wolves over a long period of time, and this loss will be deeply felt.

We appreciate your understanding and compassion.

The Wildwood Trust team.

Shame on Germany To Allow Wolf Killing

The above image went out with the news item and gives the impression of savage and dangerous wolves.

 Typical that hunters/farmers with money and politicians in their pockets should succeed. This will mean many wolves killed as shooters claim "They were a threat to livestock".

Germany is fast losing its reputation for environmental and wildlife conservation.  It is always "re-introduce them" then "Too many -kill them!"

 Germany is moving toward allowing wolf hunting after its lower house of parliament passed a controversial law aimed at managing the country’s growing wolf population.

The decision comes after a sharp increase in wolf numbers over recent decades and a rise in attacks on livestock, which has fueled pressure from farmers and rural communities.

The new legislation would make it easier to shoot wolves, especially in areas where repeated livestock killings occur, marking a major shift from the country’s previous strict protections.

The move has sparked intense debate, with supporters arguing it’s necessary to protect livelihoods, while conservationists warn it could undermine decades of recovery for wolves, which had once been driven to extinction in Germany before making a comeback.