Serodiagnosis of plague is very useful for its retrospective confirmation and for epidemiologic studies in humans and in rodents, since rats constitute the main natural reservoir of Yersinia pestis. We have developed a rapid test for the detection of IgG antibodies to fraction 1 (F1) based on immunochromatography and protein A to detect both human and rat IgG. When tested with reference human s...

Invasive rodents have been responsible for the diffusion worldwide of many zoonotic agents, thus representing major threats for public health. Cities are important hubs for people and goods exchange and are thus expected to play a pivotal role in invasive commensal rodent dissemination. Yet, data about urban rodents' ecology, especially invasive vs. native species interactions, are dramatically...

Seventeen predation attempts on four Hoopoe Upupa epops nests in an heterogenous agricultural Mediterranean area of central Italy were recorded during breeding seasons 2020-21. Camera traps identified 7 different predators’ species, mainly Western whip snake Hierophis viridiflavus and Black rat Rattus rattus. Uropygial secretions hissing calls from chicks incubating female inside the cavity alw...

The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is a relatively recent (<300 years) addition to the British fauna, but by association with negative impacts on public health, animal health and agriculture, it is regarded as one of the most important vertebrate pest species. Anticoagulant rodenticides were introduced for brown rat control in the 1950s and are widely used for rat control in the UK, but long-sta...

Cat is the definitive host of Taenia taeniaeformis (T. taeniaeformis). Cysticercus fasciolaris (C. fasciolaris), the larval stage of T. taeniaeformis, develops in small rodents which act as intermediate host. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of C. fasciolaris in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in the densely human populated parishes, St. George's and St. David's of Grenada, W...

The prevalence of antibodies against hantavirus in 413 rats (Rattus norvegicus) captured in eight regions of the Tokyo Bay area from 1983 to 1992 were examined by the indirect fluorescent antibody test. Antibody-positive rats were found in Tokyo Port in 1983 (34.8%), 1984 (25.9%), 1985 (22.0%) and 1986 (15.6%), in Kasai Seaside Park in 1989 (3.2%) and 1990 (4.2%) and in Chiba Port in 1990 (6.7%...

Hantavirus infections have been reported in many Asian countries namely China, Korea, Taiwan and some parts· of Southeast Asia. Given the fact that these countries are currently in close contact with Malaysia, it appears to be reasonable to predict that hantaviruses may also prevail in Malaysia. The infection might have occurred but not diagnosed. Furthermore, the presence of the vector for Seo...

The earliest members of genus Homo were surely bedeviled by blood-feeding arthropods, some of which doubtless carried zoonotic pathogens. However, the phenomenon of vectorborne human epidemic disease began only after humans began building settlements 15,000 years ago. Settlements offered pathogens not only host density but also opportunities for their vertebrate reservoirs and arthropod vectors...

The role of terrestrial vertebrates in the epidemiology of chikungunya disease is poorly understood. We evaluated their exposure and amplification role during the 2006 chikungunya outbreak in the Indian Ocean. Blood samples were collected from 18 mammalian and reptile species from Reunion Island, Mauritius and Mayotte. Among the 1051 samples serologically tested for chikungunya virus (CHIKV), t...