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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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Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Clifford CB, Ellis J, Treuting PM, Leighton FA. Respiratory Pathology and Pathogens in Wild Urban Rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus). Vet Pathol 2015; 52:1210-9. [DOI: 10.1177/0300985815593123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
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] = 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 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 = 1.20; 95% CI = 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. L. Rothenburger
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - C. G. Himsworth
- Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - J. Ellis
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - P. M. Treuting
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, MA, USA
| | - F. A. Leighton
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, National Headquarters, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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