Dietary composition of rodents across different habitats in the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania

Ademola, Olaoluwa John; Massawe, Apia W.; Mulungu, Loth S.; Makundi, Rhodes H.

doi:10.1111/aje.13042

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 43 publications

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“…A majority of these viral families were found in wild rodents. It's well-established that rodents consume both insects and plants [47]. Additionally, viruses that infect free-living amoebae are prevalent in soil and water sources [48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metagenomics screening of viruses in Arusha, north Tanzania: a one health perspective across wild rodents, domestic dogs and humans

Issae,

Katakweba,

Kicheleri

et al. 2023

jidhealth

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Background: One of the most significant and perilous challenges faced by African societies, including Tanzania, is the public health threat posed by zoonotic viruses. This study aimed to ascertain the presence of viruses in wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans who shared the same environment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Ngorongoro district from January to September 2022. Metagenomics next-generation sequencing technologies, including Illumina (MiSeq) and Oxford Nanopore (MinION), were employed to identify viruses in 530 blood samples collected from 200 humans, 230 wild rodents, and 100 domestic dogs. The captured wild rodents belonged to various species: Mastomys spp (n=87), Ratus spp (n=45), Avicanthis spp (n=40), Arcomys spp (n=28), Mus spp (n=16), and Field mice (n=14). The taxonomic classification of viruses was carried out using the Kraken2 program. Results: A total of 20 RNA and 20 DNA viral families were detected. Zoonotic RNA families identified in rodents included Peribunyaviridae, Hantaviridae, Flaviviridae, Coronaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Retroviridae, Picornaviridae, Arenaviridae, Togaviridae, and Tobaniviridae. The zoonotic DNA families detected in rodents were Adenoviridae, Poxviridae, Herpesviridae, Anelloviridae, and Circoviridae. Peribunyaviridae and Hataviridae were identified in both humans and rodents. Unclassified +ssRNA viruses were found in dogs and humans. Herpesviridae was present in all three hosts. When compared to dogs and humans, rodents harbored zoonotic viruses that pose a significant public health safety concern. Conclusion: The study unveiled a noteworthy pattern where the majority of RNA and DNA viruses with zoonotic potential were detected in wild rodents, as opposed to dogs and humans. These findings underscore the pivotal role played by wild rodent populations in the transmission and maintenance of such viruses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metagenomics screening of viruses in Arusha, north Tanzania: a one health perspective across wild rodents, domestic dogs and humans

Issae,

Katakweba,

Kicheleri

et al. 2023

jidhealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Spatial-Temporal Variations in Dietary Consumption of Two Dominant Rodent Species (Rhabdomys dilectus and Lophuromys acquilus) on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

et al. 2022

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Understanding the resource partitioning and diet of sympatric species is vital for conservation and management. From April 2020 to March 2021, a study on the dietary consumption of Rhabdomys dilectus and Lophuromys acquilus was conducted on Mount Kilimanjaro. Rodent trapping was conducted in agricultural fields, fallow land, and moorland habitats during dry and wet seasons. Sherman live traps and snap traps were alternately placed in transect lines for three consecutive nights. We calculated the percentage occurrence and contribution of dietary items, niche breadth, and niche overlap of the two species across habitats and seasons. Both species consumed all the examined food items. The most abundant components were vegetative materials and seeds/starch, followed by invertebrates. R. dilectus and L. acquilus preferably consumed seeds and invertebrates, respectively, as their primary food source. Niche breadth differed significantly between species (W = 650, p = 0.002), habitat (Kruskal–Wallis chi-squared = 6.82, df = 2, p = 0.03), and season (W = 700, p = 0.000). There was a considerable niche overlap in diet (ranging from 0.84 to 0.98) between the species and was relatively higher in the dry season compared with wet season. Despite the observed niche overlap, spatial-temporal variations in dietary consumption between the two species can serve as a mechanism of resource portioning enabling their coexistence.

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Dietary composition of rodents across different habitats in the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania

Cited by 2 publications

References 43 publications

Metagenomics screening of viruses in Arusha, north Tanzania: a one health perspective across wild rodents, domestic dogs and humans

Metagenomics screening of viruses in Arusha, north Tanzania: a one health perspective across wild rodents, domestic dogs and humans

Spatial-Temporal Variations in Dietary Consumption of Two Dominant Rodent Species (Rhabdomys dilectus and Lophuromys acquilus) on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

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