Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) may carry pathogens that can be a risk for public health. Brown rats in the Netherlands were tested for the zoonotic pathogens Leptospira spp. and Seoul hantavirus (SEOV), in order to obtain insight in their prevalence. Methods and results: Cross-sectional studies were performed at four locations from 2011 to 2015. The rats were tested for Leptospira spp. using real-time PCR and/or culture resulting in a prevalence ranging between 33–57%. Testing for SEOV was done through an adapted human Seoul hantavirus ELISA and real-time RT-PCR. Although at several locations the ELISA indicated presence of SEOV antibodies, none could be confirmed by focus reduction neutralization testing. Conclusion: The results indicate a widespread presence of Leptospira spp. in brown rats in the Netherlands, including areas with a low leptospirosis incidence in humans. No evidence for circulation of SEOV was found in this study.
Highlights
Rodents are known to carry pathogens that may be a risk for public health [1,2,3,4]
Since rodent and Leptospira spp. survival are facilitated by warm weather, the increase in human leptospirosis cases could possibly be explained by 2014 and 2015 being the warmest years on record [11,12]
In Limburg, 14 of 42 (33%) rats tested positive for Leptospira spp. by real-time PCR
Summary
Little is known about the prevalence and geographical distribution of zoonotic rodent-borne pathogens in the Dutch rodent population This limits opportunities for preventive measures and complicates the risk- assessment of transmission to humans. Reports on the presence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. and the various serovars in rats in the Netherlands are scarce. Brown rats in the Netherlands were tested for the zoonotic pathogens Leptospira spp. and Seoul hantavirus (SEOV), in order to obtain insight in their prevalence. The rats were tested for Leptospira spp. using real-time PCR and/or culture resulting in a prevalence ranging between 33–57%. Conclusion: The results indicate a widespread presence of Leptospira spp. in brown rats in the Netherlands, including areas with a low leptospirosis incidence in humans. No evidence for circulation of SEOV was found in this study
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