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Predictors of parasite and pathogen infections in urban rodents of central Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2021

B. Fitte
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, CEPAVE (CCT La Plata CONICET UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
R. Cavia*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
M. del Rosario Robles
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, CEPAVE (CCT La Plata CONICET UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
A. Dellarupe
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Inmunoparasitología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
J.M. Unzaga
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Inmunoparasitología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
G.T. Navone
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, CEPAVE (CCT La Plata CONICET UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
*
Author for correspondence: Regino Cavia, E-mail: rcavia@ege.fcen.uba.ar

Abstract

Urban rodents are associated with parasites and pathogens, which present health risks for humans, but information on factors related to parasite and pathogen infection in rodents in cities of Latin America is scarce. This study analyzes the hosts, host community structure and environmental characteristics of parasite and pathogen fauna present in the three species of urban rodents in an urban area of South America. Rodents were captured seasonally in seven different neighborhoods. Digestive tracts were dissected under stereoscopic microscopy and feces were processed using a sedimentation technique. Protozoa and bacteria were detected through polymerase chain reaction and indirect immunofluorescence techniques. In Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus and Mus musculus, ten helminths, three protozoa and two bacteria were found. Six were zoonotic: Toxoplasma gondii; Hymenolepis diminuta; Rodentolepis nana; Strobilocercus fasciolaris; Leptospira borgpetersenii; and Leptospira interrogans. The parasite and pathogen infections were influenced by the host species, the host community structure, the season, and the presence of streams in the neighborhood. Urban rodents may be the infection source of many zoonotic diseases and it is important to generate public policies for this problem. This study is one example of the situation of many cities of Latin America, where peripheral neighborhoods are growing dramatically.

Type
Research Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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