A survey of rodent-borne pathogens carried by wild-caught Norway rats: A potential threat to laboratory rodent colonies

Easterbrook, Judith D.; Kaplan, Jenifer B.; Glass, Gregory E.; Watson, Julie; Klein, Sabra L.

doi:10.1258/la.2007.06015e

Cited by 48 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…13 In a previous study, the seroprevalence to rat coronavirus in wild rats was 92% but was only 4% to Sendai virus. 11 The dynamics of respiratory paramyxovirus infections in wild rat populations beg further investigation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory Pathology and Pathogens in Wild Urban Rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus)

Rothenburger

Himsworth

Clifford³

et al. 2015

Vet Pathol

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Norway (Rattus norvegicus) and black rats (Rattus rattus) are common peridomestic species, yet little is known about wild rat ecology, including their natural diseases. We describe gross and histological lesions in the respiratory tract of a sample of 711 wild urban rats. A subset was examined for 19 distinct categories of histological lesions in the respiratory tract. Testing for known respiratory pathogens included serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of lung samples. Grossly evident lesions were rare (8/711; 1%). Upper respiratory tract inflammation was present in 93 of 107 (87%) rats and included rhinitis, submucosal and periglandular lymphoplasmacytic tracheitis, and/or tracheal intraluminal necrotic debris and was significantly associated (P < .05) with the presence of cilia-associated respiratory bacillus (CARB), Mycoplasma pulmonis, and increased body mass (odds ratio [OR] ¼ 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] ¼ 1.05-1.14 per 10 g). Within the lungs, peribronchiolar and/or perivascular lymphoplasmacytic cuffs were present in 152 of 199 rats (76%) and were also significantly associated (P .02) with CARB, M. pulmonis, and increased body mass (OR ¼ 1.20; 95% CI ¼ 1.14-1.27 per 10 g). Rats were frequently coinfected with M. pulmonis and CARB, and lesions associated with these pathogens were histologically indistinguishable. Pneumocystis sp was detected in 48 of 102 (47%) rats using PCR but was not significantly associated with lesions. This description of pathology in the respiratory system of wild rats demonstrates that respiratory disease is common. Although the impact of these lesions on individual and population health remains to be investigated, respiratory disease may be an important contributor to wild rat morbidity and mortality.Keywords cilia-associated respiratory bacillus; lung; Mycoplasma pulmonis, pathology; Pneumocystis; rats; Rattus norvegicus; Rattus rattus; respiratory diseases; wild Norway and black rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus) are cosmopolitan peridomestic species that are well adapted to living in urban habitats.12 Negative impacts of rats on human society range from economic losses through agricultural crop destruction to zoonotic diseases. 12,13,22 Even though rats have lived in cities with people for centuries, many details of urban rat ecology remain unexplored. Specifically, little is known about the causes of natural morbidity and mortality in rats.The life span of wild urban rats is considerably shorter than that of laboratory rats, with few individuals living beyond 1 year of age.12 Conversely, laboratory rats live up to 3 years. 43Factors contributing to the rapid population turnover among wild rats are unclear. Due to the high fecundity of rats, predation and human rat control activities, including trapping and poisoning, have limited effects on population size. 12 Mortality associated with resource competition does not explain why mature rats die, since they would be expected to outcompete juvenile rats.12 Natural disease may be a key component to

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory Pathology and Pathogens in Wild Urban Rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus)

Rothenburger

Himsworth

Clifford³

et al. 2015

Vet Pathol

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“…Wild rodents, unlike their laboratory counterparts today, are exposed to a wide range of infectious agents [19,46] that include macro-(helminths and parasitic arthropods) and microparasites (viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi). Indeed, many of these organisms were identified in the wild rats evaluated in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immune Characterization of Wild-CaughtRattus norvegicusSuggests Diversity of Immune Activity in Biome-Normal Environments

Lin¹,

Holzknecht²,

Trama³

et al. 2012

Journal of Evolutionary Medicine

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Biome depletion, or loss of co-evolved constituents within the ecosystem of the human body, has become the leading suspect in epidemics of allergic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases associated with post-industrial culture. Immunity in wild and laboratory rats has been used as a model for immunity in biomenormal and biome depleted environments, respectively. In this study, the ranges of numerous immune parameters (such as cytokine production and cell surface marker expression) in 8 wild rats overlapped with the ranges found in 7 laboratory rats. However, considering a number of parameters simultaneously as an "expression index" revealed a substantially greater range of immune activity in the wild compared with laboratory rats. These findings are consistent with the intuitive idea that the immune system is inherently malleable or flexible within environments of evolutionary adaptedness, and might suggest that biome reconstitution as an effective therapy could be achieved in a variety of ways.

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“…M. pulmonis, M. arthritidis, and M. neurolyticum are the most common pathogens in laboratory mice and rats. M. pulmonis in particular is epizootic in conventional animal facilities [2,10]. To date, M. pulmonis has been identified by morphological and biochemical analyses.…”

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confidence: 99%

Rapid Identification of <i>Mycoplasma pulmonis</i> Isolated from Laboratory Mice and Rats Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Goto

Yamamoto

Asahara

et al. 2012

The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

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A survey of rodent-borne pathogens carried by wild-caught Norway rats: A potential threat to laboratory rodent colonies

Cited by 48 publications

References 17 publications

Respiratory Pathology and Pathogens in Wild Urban Rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus)

Respiratory Pathology and Pathogens in Wild Urban Rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus)

Immune Characterization of Wild-CaughtRattus norvegicusSuggests Diversity of Immune Activity in Biome-Normal Environments

Rapid Identification of <i>Mycoplasma pulmonis</i> Isolated from Laboratory Mice and Rats Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

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