Factors related to household rodent abundance in rodent-borne disease foci in western Yunnan

Abstract

To analyze the factors related to the household abundance of rodents in rodent-borne disease foci in the western part of Yunnan province. From July 2011 to October 2012, 800 households (20 households in 1 village) were randomly selected in 40 natural villages of 10 counties in western Yunnan where rodent borne disease was endemic to conduct a study on relationship between rodent abundance and environmental factors. Five cages were placed in each household for 3 consecutive nights to capture rodents. The rodent species were identified based on their morphological characteristics. The data on potential factors related to rodent abundance were collected through questionnaires and field observation. A dataset was established by using EpiData software and the analysis was performed with hurdle regression model under R software. A total of 421 rodents were captured in 800 households, belonging to 9 species, 6 genera, 2 families, 2 orders. Rattus tanezumi was the predominant species (66.03%). The final hurdle regression model showed that the probability of capturing rodents in the households where family member had high education level and the garbage was placed outside declined by 50%-68% ;The probability of capturing rodents in the households of Dai and Yi ethnic groups increased by 2.16-2.87 times;The probability of capturing rodents in the households where rodents were observed or vegetables grown near houses increased by 1.54-1.59 times;In the households where many rodents were believed to exist, the probability of capturing rodents and the number of rodents captured increased by 1.59 and 1.84 times respectively. The number of rodents captured in the houses with cement or tile floor increased by 3.62 times. The household abundance of rodents in the area in western Yunnan, where the rodent-borne disease survey was conducted, seemed to be closely related to the social economy status, human intervention and ecological environment. To control the abundance of rodents effectively, it is necessary to take these factors into consideration.