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Detection and Distribution of Zoonotic Pathogens in Wild Norway Rats (Rattus Norvegicus) From Tehran, Iran Publisher



Azimi T1 ; Azimi L2 ; Fallah F3 ; Pourmand MR1 ; Peeri Dogaheh H4 ; Rafiei Tabatabaei S2
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Pediatric Infection Research Center, Research Institute for Children's Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Science, Ardabil, Iran

Source: New Microbes and New Infections Published:2021


Abstract

This is the first study on the prevalence of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens found in Rattus norvegicus (R. norvegicus) in urban areas of Tehran, Iran. Serological tests were used to detect IgG antibodies against Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) and Rickettsia spp. using a commercial qualitative rat ELISA kit. The frequency of Streptobacillus moniliformis (S. moniliformis) and Bartonella spp. was determined using a conventional PCR method. Molecular detection and characterization of Leptospira spp. were conducted using TaqMan real-time PCR based on lipL32 gene and SecY typing methods. A total of 100 R. norvegicus rats were collected from five regions in Tehran, Iran, and investigated to determine their zoonotic pathogens. S. moniliformis and Bartonella spp. were detected in 23 of 100 (23%) and 17 of 100 (17%) R. norvegicus populations, respectively. The highest prevalence of S. moniliformis and Bartonella spp. with similar frequency rates (n = 6/20; 30%) was seen among the R. norvegicus rats captured from the northern and southern parts of Tehran, respectively. Seroreactivity against C. burnetii and Rickettsia spp. was detected in 4% and 1% of R. norvegicus, respectively. C. burnetii. was identified only in one rat captured from the eastern part of Tehran. Results showed that Leptospira spp. was detected only in two rats, collected from the southern part (n = 2/20; 10%) of Tehran. The secY typing method identified two different Leptospira species including L. interrogans and L. kirschneri. The results showed that urban rats might play an important role in transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans. © 2021
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