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Mirkov I, Tucovic D, Kulas J, Malesevic A, Kataranovski D, Kataranovski M, Popov Aleksandrov A. Physiological strategies in wild rodents: immune defenses of commensal rats. Integr Zool 2024; 19:350-370. [PMID: 37814602 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The importance of issues associated with urban/commensal rats and mice (property damage, management costs, and health risks) press upon research on these animals. While the demography of commensal rodents is mostly studied, the need for understanding factors influencing their natural morbidity/mortality is also stressed. In this respect, more attention is expected to be paid to immunity, the physiological mechanism of defense against host survival threats (pathogens, parasites, diseases). Commensal rats and mice carry numerous pathogens that evoke diverse immune responses. The state of immunity in commensal house mice is studied in great detail, owing to the use of laboratory strains in biomedical research. Because commensal rats are, compared to mice, carriers of more zoonotic agents, rats' immunity is studied mainly in that context. Some of these zoonotic agents cause chronic, asymptomatic infections, which justified studies of immunological mechanisms of pathogen tolerance versus clearance regulation in rats. Occurrence of some infections in specific tissues/organs pressed upon analysis of local/regional immune responses and/or immunopathology. A survey of immunological activity/responses in commensal rats is given in this review, with mention of existing data in commensal mice. It should throw some light on the factors relevant to their morbidity and lifespan, supplementing the knowledge of commensal rodent ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Mirkov
- Immunotoxicology Group, Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dina Tucovic
- Immunotoxicology Group, Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jelena Kulas
- Immunotoxicology Group, Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Anastasija Malesevic
- Immunotoxicology Group, Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dragan Kataranovski
- Immunotoxicology Group, Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milena Kataranovski
- Immunotoxicology Group, Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Aleksandra Popov Aleksandrov
- Immunotoxicology Group, Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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Gliga DS, Pisanu B, Walzer C, Desvars-Larrive A. Helminths of urban rats in developed countries: a systematic review to identify research gaps. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:2383-2397. [PMID: 32607706 PMCID: PMC7366588 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06776-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although black (Rattus rattus) and brown (Rattus norvegicus) rats are among the most widespread synanthropic wild rodents, there is a surprising scarcity of knowledge about their ecology in the urban ecosystem. In particular, relatively few studies have investigated their helminth species diversity in such habitat. We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guideline to synthesize the existing published literature regarding the helminth fauna of urban rats in developed countries (North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan). We aimed at describing the species diversity and richness of urban rat helminths, the species prevalence and associations, the methods of investigation, the pathological changes observed in the hosts, the risk factors of infection and the public health significance of rat-borne helminthiases. Twenty-three scientific papers published between 1946 and 2019 were reviewed, half of them were conducted in Europe. Twenty-five helminth species and eight genera were described from the liver, digestive tract, lungs and muscles of urban rats. The most commonly reported parasite was Calodium hepaticum. Prevalence and risk factors of helminth infection in urban rats varied greatly between studies. Observed pathological findings in the rat host were generally minor, except for C. hepaticum. Several rat helminths can parasitize humans and are therefore of public health significance. The lack of references to identification keys and the rare use of molecular tools for species confirmation represent the main limitation of these studies. Knowledge gap on this topic and the needs for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana S Gliga
- Conservation Medicine, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benoît Pisanu
- Unité Mixte de Services (UMS) 2006 Patrimoine Naturel, Office Français pour la Biodiversité (OFB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Paris, France
| | - Chris Walzer
- Conservation Medicine, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Amélie Desvars-Larrive
- Conservation Medicine, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
- Unit of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
- Complexity Science Hub, Vienna, Austria.
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Masuda A, Kameyama K, Goto M, Narasaki K, Kondo H, Shibuya H, Matsumoto J. Eucoleus garfiai (Gállego et Mas-Coma, 1975) (Nematoda: Capillariidae) infection in wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) from the Amakusa Islands, Japan. Parasitol Int 2019; 73:101972. [PMID: 31400466 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2019.101972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We examined lingual tissues of Japanese wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) captured in the Amakusa Islands off the coast of Kumamoto Prefecture. One hundred and forty wild boars were caught in 11 different locations in Kamishima (n = 36) and Shimoshima (n = 104) in the Amakusa Islands, Japan between January 2016 and April 2018. Lingual tissues were subjected to histological examinations, where helminths and their eggs were observed in the epithelium of 51 samples (36.4%). No significant differences in prevalence were observed according to maturity, sex or capture location. Lingual tissues positive for helminth infection were randomly selected and intact male and female worms were collected for morphological measurements. Based on the host species, site of infection, and morphological details, we identified the parasite as Eucoleus garfiai (Gállego et Mas-Coma, 1975) Moravec, 1982 (syn. Capillaria garfiai). This is the first report from outside Europe of E. garfiai infection in wild boars. Phylogenetic analysis of the parasite using the 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequence confirmed that the parasite grouped with other Eucoleus species, providing additional nucleotide sequence for this genus. Since wild boar populations are widely distributed in Japan, continuing surveys on the epidemiology of the parasite and identifying possible intermediate host candidates are crucial for elucidating the transmission route of the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya Masuda
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.
| | - Kaede Kameyama
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.
| | - Miho Goto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan
| | - Kouichiro Narasaki
- Narasaki Animal Medical Center, 133-5 Hondomachi-Hirose, Amakusa, Kumamoto 863-0001, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Kondo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.
| | - Hisashi Shibuya
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.
| | - Jun Matsumoto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.
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Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemeth NM, Pearl DL, Treuting PM, Jardine CM. The devil is in the details-Host disease and co-infections are associated with zoonotic pathogen carriage in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Zoonoses Public Health 2019; 66:622-635. [PMID: 31222965 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, zoonotic pathogen ecology studies in wildlife have focused on the interplay among hosts, their demographic characteristics and their pathogens. But pathogen ecology is also influenced by factors that traverse the hierarchical scale of biological organization, ranging from within-host factors at the molecular, cellular and organ levels, all the way to the host population within a larger environment. The influence of host disease and co-infections on zoonotic pathogen carriage in hosts is important because these factors may be key to a more holistic understanding of pathogen ecology in wildlife hosts, which are a major source of emerging infectious diseases in humans. Using wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) as a model species, the purpose of this study was to investigate how host disease and co-infections impact the carriage of zoonotic pathogens. Following a systematic trap and removal study, we tested the rats for the presence of two potentially zoonotic bacterial pathogens (Bartonella tribocorum and Leptospira interrogans) and assessed them for host disease not attributable to these bacteria (i.e., nematode parasites, and macroscopic and microscopic lesions). We fitted multilevel multivariable logistic regression models with pathogen status as the outcome, lesions and parasites as predictor variables and city block as a random effect. Rats had significantly increased odds of being infected with B. tribocorum if they had a concurrent nematode infection in one or more organ systems. Rats with bite wounds, any macroscopic lesion, cardiomyopathy or tracheitis had significantly increased odds of being infected with L. interrogans. These results suggest that host disease may have an important role in the ecology and epidemiology of rat-associated zoonotic pathogens. Our multiscale approach to assessing complex intrahost factors in relation to zoonotic pathogen carriage may be applicable to future studies in rats and other wildlife hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L Rothenburger
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative Ontario-Nunavut Region, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chelsea G Himsworth
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative British Columbia Region, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicole M Nemeth
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - David L Pearl
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Piper M Treuting
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Claire M Jardine
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative Ontario-Nunavut Region, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, La Perle KMD, Leighton FA, Nemeth NM, Treuting PM, Jardine CM. Pathology of wild Norway rats in Vancouver, Canada. J Vet Diagn Invest 2019; 31:184-199. [PMID: 30852980 DOI: 10.1177/1040638719833436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To achieve a contemporary understanding of the common and rare lesions that affect wild, urban Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus), we conducted a detailed pathology analysis of 672 rats from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Grossly evident lesions, such as wounds, abscesses, and neoplasms, were present in 71 of 672 rats (11%) and tended to be severe. The most common and significant lesions were infectious and inflammatory, most often affecting the respiratory tract and associated with bite wounds. We assessed a subset of rats (up to n = 406 per tissue) for the presence of microscopic lesions in a variety of organ systems. The most frequent lesions that could impact individual rat health included cardiomyopathy (128 of 406; 32%), chronic respiratory tract infections as indicated by pulmonary inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (270 of 403; 67%), tracheitis (192 of 372; 52%), and thyroid follicular hyperplasia (142 of 279; 51%). We isolated 21 bacterial species from purulent lesions in rats with bacterial infections, the most frequent of which were Escherichia coli, Enterococcus sp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Parasitic diseases in rats resulted from infection with several invasive nematodes: Capillaria hepatica in the liver (242 of 672; 36%), Eucoleus sp. in the upper gastrointestinal tract (164 of 399; 41%), and Trichosomoides crassicauda in the urinary bladder (59 of 194; 30%). Neoplastic, congenital, and degenerative lesions were rare, which likely reflects their adverse effect on survival in the urban environment. Our results establish a baseline of expected lesions in wild urban rats, which may have implications for urban rat and zoonotic pathogen ecology, as well as rat control in cities worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L Rothenburger
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC; Ontario-Nunavut Region), Guelph, ON, Canada (Rothenburger, Nemeth, Jardine).,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and CWHC (British Columbia Region), Abbotsford, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Comparative Pathology & Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (La Perle).,Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and CWHC (National Headquarters), Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Leighton).,Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Treuting)
| | - Chelsea G Himsworth
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC; Ontario-Nunavut Region), Guelph, ON, Canada (Rothenburger, Nemeth, Jardine).,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and CWHC (British Columbia Region), Abbotsford, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Comparative Pathology & Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (La Perle).,Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and CWHC (National Headquarters), Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Leighton).,Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Treuting)
| | - Krista M D La Perle
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC; Ontario-Nunavut Region), Guelph, ON, Canada (Rothenburger, Nemeth, Jardine).,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and CWHC (British Columbia Region), Abbotsford, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Comparative Pathology & Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (La Perle).,Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and CWHC (National Headquarters), Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Leighton).,Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Treuting)
| | - Frederick A Leighton
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC; Ontario-Nunavut Region), Guelph, ON, Canada (Rothenburger, Nemeth, Jardine).,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and CWHC (British Columbia Region), Abbotsford, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Comparative Pathology & Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (La Perle).,Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and CWHC (National Headquarters), Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Leighton).,Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Treuting)
| | - Nicole M Nemeth
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC; Ontario-Nunavut Region), Guelph, ON, Canada (Rothenburger, Nemeth, Jardine).,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and CWHC (British Columbia Region), Abbotsford, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Comparative Pathology & Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (La Perle).,Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and CWHC (National Headquarters), Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Leighton).,Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Treuting)
| | - Piper M Treuting
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC; Ontario-Nunavut Region), Guelph, ON, Canada (Rothenburger, Nemeth, Jardine).,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and CWHC (British Columbia Region), Abbotsford, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Comparative Pathology & Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (La Perle).,Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and CWHC (National Headquarters), Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Leighton).,Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Treuting)
| | - Claire M Jardine
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC; Ontario-Nunavut Region), Guelph, ON, Canada (Rothenburger, Nemeth, Jardine).,Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and CWHC (British Columbia Region), Abbotsford, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Himsworth).,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Comparative Pathology & Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (La Perle).,Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and CWHC (National Headquarters), Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Leighton).,Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (Treuting)
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