The relationship between socioeconomic indices and potentially zoonotic pathogens carried by wild Norway rats: a survey in Rhône, France (2010–2012)

Abstract

SUMMARYLeptospira interrogans, hantaviruses (particularly Seoul virus), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and Toxoplasma gondii are rat-associated zoonoses that are responsible for human morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to describe the infection patterns of these four pathogens in wild rats (Rattus norvegicus) across socioeconomic levels in neighbourhoods in Lyon, France. The infection or exposure status was determined using polymerase chain reaction or serology for 178 wild rats captured in 23 locations; additionally, confirmatory culture or mouse inoculation was performed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate whether morphological and socioeconomic data could predict the infection status of the rats. This study revealed that the rat colony's age structure may influence the prevalence of L. interrogans, hantavirus, and HEV. In addition, areas with high human population densities and low incomes may be associated with a greater number of infected rats and an increased risk of disease transmission.

Serosurvey of Leptospira spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in rats captured from two zoos in Southern Brazil

“…The frequency of rats seropositive for T. gondii was consistent with previous studies, which reported a prevalence of 0.3% to 8% in other rodent species 15,16 . No signifi cant differences between sexes were found in the frequency of T. gondii seropositive rats (p = 0.730) or sampling locations (p = 0.614) ( Table 3).…”

Survey for zoonotic pathogens in Norway rat populations from Europe

“…To determine influences of demographic and habitat characteristics on the prevalence of Leptospira and rat PyV as well as their respective coinfections, generalised linear modelling (GLM) with a binomial error distribution was applied. Individual infection status was treated as the response variable, with sex and body weight, which is often used to distinguish between age classes [here defined as ≤200 g (juvenile/subadult) and >200 g (adult)], as demographic predictors and habitat (urban, town, rural) based on human population density, which has often been associated with disease prevalence in rats …”

“…Individual infection status was treated as the response variable, with sex and body weight, which is often used to distinguish between age classes [here defined as ≤200 g (juvenile/subadult) and >200 g (adult)], 54 as demographic predictors and habitat (urban, town, rural) based on human population density, which has often been associated with disease prevalence in rats. 53,54 Here, we used data generated by the Geostat project which provides high-resolution (1 km 2 ) human population data based on the European census of 2011 (Eurostat, 2012). 55 To categorise human density, the approach by Giné et al 56 was applied.…”

A California without Rodenticides: Challenges for Commensal Rodent Management in the Future

“…Research has suggested that human exposure to rats is common in areas with high population density, such as inner-city economically-challenged neighborhoods (Davis 1953, Childs et al 1998, Langton et al 2001, Battersby et al 2002, Reis et al 2008, Walsh 2014, Ayral et al 2015. The effects of rodent management (with or without rodenticide) on the reduction of zoonoses are not well understood.…”