1
|
Robinson SJ, Pearl DL, Himsworth CG, Weese JS, Lindsay LR, Dibernardo A, Huynh C, Hill JE, Fernando C, Jardine CM. Environmental and sociodemographic factors associated with zoonotic pathogen occurrence in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Windsor, Ontario. Zoonoses Public Health 2024; 71:416-428. [PMID: 38419369 DOI: 10.1111/zph.13120] [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] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Rat-associated zoonotic pathogen transmission at the human-wildlife interface is a public health concern in urban environments where Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) thrive on abundant anthropogenic resources and live in close contact with humans and other animal species. To identify potential factors influencing zoonotic pathogen occurrence in rats, we investigated associations between environmental and sociodemographic factors and Leptospira interrogans and Bartonella spp. infections in rats from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, while controlling for the potential confounding effects of animal characteristics (i.e., sexual maturity and body condition). METHODS AND RESULTS Between November 2018 and June 2021, 252 rats were submitted by collaborating pest control professionals. Kidney and spleen samples were collected for L. interrogans and Bartonella spp. PCR and sequencing, respectively. Of the rats tested by PCR, 12.7% (32/252) were positive for L. interrogans and 16.3% (37/227) were positive for Bartonella species. Associations between infection status and environmental and sociodemographic variables of interest were assessed via mixed multivariable logistic regression models with a random intercept for social group and fixed effects to control for sexual maturity and body condition in each model. The odds of L. interrogans infection were significantly higher in rats from areas with high building density (odds ratio [OR]: 3.76; 95% CI: 1.31-10.79; p = 0.014), high human population density (OR: 3.31; 95% CI: 1.20-9.11; p = 0.021), high proportion of buildings built in 1960 or before (OR: 11.21; 95% CI: 2.06-60.89; p = 0.005), and a moderate number of reports of uncollected garbage compared to a low number of reports (OR: 4.88; 95% CI: 1.01-23.63; p = 0.049). A negative association was observed between median household income and Bartonella spp. infection in rats (OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.08-0.89; p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS Due to the complexity of the ecology of rat-associated zoonoses, consideration of environmental and sociodemographic factors is of critical importance to better understand the nuances of host-pathogen systems and inform how urban rat surveillance and intervention efforts should be distributed within cities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Robinson
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - David L Pearl
- Department of Population Medicine, 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
| | - J Scott Weese
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - L Robbin Lindsay
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Antonia Dibernardo
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Chris Huynh
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Janet E Hill
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Champika Fernando
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Claire M Jardine
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Camp JV, Desvars-Larrive A, Nowotny N, Walzer C. Monitoring Urban Zoonotic Virus Activity: Are City Rats a Promising Surveillance Tool for Emerging Viruses? Viruses 2022; 14:v14071516. [PMID: 35891496 PMCID: PMC9316102 DOI: 10.3390/v14071516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Urban environments represent unique ecosystems where dense human populations may come into contact with wildlife species, some of which are established or potential reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens that cause human diseases. Finding practical ways to monitor the presence and/or abundance of zoonotic pathogens is important to estimate the risk of spillover to humans in cities. As brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are ubiquitous in urban habitats, and are hosts of several zoonotic viruses, we conducted longitudinal sampling of brown rats in Vienna, Austria, a large population center in Central Europe. We investigated rat tissues for the presence of several zoonotic viruses, including flaviviruses, hantaviruses, coronaviruses, poxviruses, hepatitis E virus, encephalomyocarditis virus, and influenza A virus. Although we found no evidence of active infections (all were negative for viral nucleic acids) among 96 rats captured between 2016 and 2018, our study supports the findings of others, suggesting that monitoring urban rats may be an efficient way to estimate the activity of zoonotic viruses in urban environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy V. Camp
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Correspondence:
| | - Amélie Desvars-Larrive
- Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, 1080 Vienna, Austria
- VetFarm, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Norbert Nowotny
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
| | - Chris Walzer
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Robinson SJ, Finer R, Himsworth CG, Pearl DL, Rousseau J, Weese JS, Lindsay LR, Dibernardo A, Huynh C, Jardine CM. Evaluating the utility of pest control sourced rats for zoonotic pathogen surveillance. Zoonoses Public Health 2022; 69:468-474. [DOI: 10.1111/zph.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J. Robinson
- Department of Pathobiology Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - Rachel Finer
- Department of Pathobiology 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
| | - David L. Pearl
- Department of Population Medicine Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - Joyce Rousseau
- Department of Pathobiology Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - J. Scott Weese
- Department of Pathobiology Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - L. Robbin Lindsay
- Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Antonia Dibernardo
- Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Chris Huynh
- Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Claire M. Jardine
- Department of Pathobiology Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pettengill JB, Kase JA, Murray MH. The Population Genetics, Virulence, and Public Health Concerns of Escherichia coli Collected From Rats Within an Urban Environment. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:631761. [PMID: 34777266 PMCID: PMC8585510 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.631761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The co-existence of rats and humans in urban environments has long been a cause for concern regarding human health because of the potential for rats to harbor and transmit disease-causing pathogens. Here, we analyze whole-genome sequence (WGS) data from 41 Escherichia coli isolates collected from rat feces from 12 locations within the city of Chicago, IL, United States to determine the potential for rats to serve as a reservoir for pathogenic E. coli and describe its population structure. We identified 25 different serotypes, none of which were isolated from strains containing significant virulence markers indicating the presence of Shiga toxin-producing and other disease-causing E. coli. Nor did the E. coli isolates harbor any particularly rare stress tolerant or antimicrobial resistance genes. We then compared the isolates against a public database of approximately 100,000 E. coli and Shigella isolates of primarily food, food facility, or clinical origin. We found that only one isolate was genetically similar to genome sequences in the database. Phylogenetic analyses showed that isolates cluster by serotype, and there was little geographic structure (e.g., isolation by distance) among isolates. However, a greater signal of isolation by distance was observed when we compared genetic and geographic distances among isolates of the same serotype. This suggests that E. coli serotypes are independent lineages and recombination between serotypes is rare.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J B Pettengill
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, United States Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - J A Kase
- Division of Microbiology, Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, United States Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - M H Murray
- Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Younis AE, Saad AI, El-Akhal IRM, Saleh NMK. A parasitological survey of zoonotic cestodes carried by house rats in Aswan, Egypt, reveals cryptic diversity at the molecular level. Vet World 2021; 14:2160-2169. [PMID: 34566335 PMCID: PMC8448621 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.2160-2169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim: Some rat cestodes are zoonotic and are capable of parasitizing humans and animals, raising serious concerns regarding human and veterinary health. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for cestodes in Egyptian house rats and to characterize the cestodes molecularly. Materials and Methods: The current survey examined 115 house rats (Rattus rattus) in two cities (Edfu and Aswan) in Egypt’s Aswan Governorate for cestode infection using integrated molecular approaches (polymerase chain reaction, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis) and morphological/morphometrical approaches. Results: The cestodes identified in this study exhibited the typical morphological characteristics of Hymenolepis diminuta (Rudolphi, 1819), Hymenolepis nana (Siebold, 1852) (from rat intestine), and Hydatigera taeniaeformis (from rat liver). The species prevalence rates from these three studies were reported to be 8.7%, 10.4%, and 20.9%, respectively. The ribosomal DNA (ITS1, 18S, and complete ITS) sequences revealed that the hymenolepid sequences were highly distinct but were related to other sequences in the GenBank database, with some sequences showing high similarities to those of H. nana and H. diminuta. In addition, the H. taeniaeformis sequences (ITS2 and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [mtCOX1]) obtained in this study were highly similar to some Taenia taeniaeformis GenBank sequences. The constructed phylogram revealed that the hymenolepidid tapeworms examined in this study were classified into four major branches (the majority of which were hybrids of the two species) and belonged to the genus Hymenolepis. In addition, the phylogram of H. taeniaeformis assigned this species to T. taeniaeformis. Conclusion: When typical hymenolepid morphology is combined with molecular and phylogenetic divergence, it may indicate the existence of possible cryptic species. In addition, on the basis of the phylogenetic analysis, genetic diversity within T. taeniaeformis may exist as determined by comparing the metacestode mtCOX1 sequences. The current study presents the prevalence values of zoonotic cestodes and contributes to the body of knowledge, including identification keys and the use of molecular tools for species confirmation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Atef Ibrahim Saad
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Aswan University, Aswan 81528, Egypt
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Surface Waters and Urban Brown Rats as Potential Sources of Human-Infective Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Vienna, Austria. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081596. [PMID: 34442675 PMCID: PMC8400309 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidium and Giardia are waterborne protozoa that cause intestinal infections in a wide range of warm-blooded animals. Human infections vary from asymptomatic to life-threatening in immunocompromised people, and can cause growth retardation in children. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence and diversity of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in urban surface water and in brown rats trapped in the center of Vienna, Austria, using molecular methods, and to subsequently identify their source and potential transmission pathways. Out of 15 water samples taken from a side arm of the River Danube, Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)cysts were detected in 60% and 73% of them, with concentrations ranging between 0.3-4 oocysts/L and 0.6-96 cysts/L, respectively. Cryptosporidium and Giardia were identified in 13 and 16 out of 50 rats, respectively. Eimeria, a parasite of high veterinary importance, was also identified in seven rats. Parasite co-ocurrence was detected in nine rats. Rat-associated genotypes did not match those found in water, but matched Giardia previously isolated from patients with diarrhea in Austria, bringing up a potential role of rats as sources or reservoirs of zoonotic pathogenic Giardia. Following a One Health approach, molecular typing across potential animal and environmental reservoirs and human cases gives an insight into environmental transmission pathways and therefore helps design efficient surveillance strategies and relevant outbreak responses.
Collapse
|
7
|
Byers KA, Booker TR, Combs M, Himsworth CG, Munshi‐South J, Patrick DM, Whitlock MC. Using genetic relatedness to understand heterogeneous distributions of urban rat-associated pathogens. Evol Appl 2021; 14:198-209. [PMID: 33519965 PMCID: PMC7819557 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) carry several pathogens transmissible to people. However, pathogen prevalence can vary across fine spatial scales (i.e., by city block). Using a population genomics approach, we sought to describe rat movement patterns across an urban landscape and to evaluate whether these patterns align with pathogen distributions. We genotyped 605 rats from a single neighborhood in Vancouver, Canada, and used 1,495 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms to identify parent-offspring and sibling relationships using pedigree analysis. We resolved 1,246 pairs of relatives, of which only 1% of pairs were captured in different city blocks. Relatives were primarily caught within 33 meters of each other leading to a highly leptokurtic distribution of dispersal distances. Using binomial generalized linear mixed models, we evaluated whether family relationships influenced rat pathogen status with the bacterial pathogens Leptospira interrogans, Bartonella tribocorum, and Clostridium difficile, and found that an individual's pathogen status was not predicted any better by including disease status of related rats. The spatial clustering of related rats and their pathogens lends support to the hypothesis that spatially restricted movement promotes the heterogeneous patterns of pathogen prevalence evidenced in this population. Our findings also highlight the utility of evolutionary tools to understand movement and rat-associated health risks in urban landscapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaylee A. Byers
- Department of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
- Canadian Wildlife Health CooperativeAnimal Health CentreBritish Columbia Ministry of AgricultureAbbotsfordBCCanada
| | - Tom R. Booker
- Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
| | - Matthew Combs
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental BiologyColumbia UniversityNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Chelsea G. Himsworth
- Canadian Wildlife Health CooperativeAnimal Health CentreBritish Columbia Ministry of AgricultureAbbotsfordBCCanada
- School of Population and Public HealthUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
- Animal Health CentreBritish Columbia Ministry of AgricultureAbbotsfordBCCanada
| | - Jason Munshi‐South
- Louis Calder Center‐Biological Field Station and Department of Biological ScienceFordham UniversityArmonkNYUSA
| | - David M. Patrick
- School of Population and Public HealthUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
- British Columbia Centre for Disease ControlVancouverBCCanada
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Richardson JL, Silveira G, Soto Medrano I, Arietta AZ, Mariani C, Pertile AC, Carvalho Pereira T, Childs JE, Ko AI, Costa F, Caccone A. Significant Genetic Impacts Accompany an Urban Rat Control Campaign in Salvador, Brazil. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
10
|
Byers KA, Lee MJ, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. Rats About Town: A Systematic Review of Rat Movement in Urban Ecosystems. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
|
11
|
Eskew EA, Olival KJ. De-urbanization and Zoonotic Disease Risk. ECOHEALTH 2018; 15:707-712. [PMID: 30120670 PMCID: PMC6265062 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-018-1359-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Evan A Eskew
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street - 17th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, USA.
| | - Kevin J Olival
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street - 17th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Combs M, Byers KA, Ghersi BM, Blum MJ, Caccone A, Costa F, Himsworth CG, Richardson JL, Munshi-South J. Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus) compared across multiple cities. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180245. [PMID: 29875297 PMCID: PMC6015871 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization often substantially influences animal movement and gene flow. However, few studies to date have examined gene flow of the same species across multiple cities. In this study, we examine brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) to test hypotheses about the repeatability of neutral evolution across four cities: Salvador, Brazil; New Orleans, USA; Vancouver, Canada; and New York City, USA. At least 150 rats were sampled from each city and genotyped for a minimum of 15 000 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. Levels of genome-wide diversity were similar across cities, but varied across neighbourhoods within cities. All four populations exhibited high spatial autocorrelation at the shortest distance classes (less than 500 m) owing to limited dispersal. Coancestry and evolutionary clustering analyses identified genetic discontinuities within each city that coincided with a resource desert in New York City, major waterways in New Orleans, and roads in Salvador and Vancouver. Such replicated studies are crucial to assessing the generality of predictions from urban evolution, and have practical applications for pest management and public health. Future studies should include a range of global cities in different biomes, incorporate multiple species, and examine the impact of specific characteristics of the built environment and human socioeconomics on gene flow.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Combs
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Kaylee A Byers
- Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, The Animal Health Centre, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bruno M Ghersi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Michael J Blum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Adalgisa Caccone
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Federico Costa
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde, Salvador, BA, 40296-710, Brazil
- Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Chelsea G Himsworth
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, The Animal Health Centre, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Jason Munshi-South
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| |
Collapse
|