Abstract
Rats are ubiquitous in urban environments and, as established reservoirs for infectious pathogens, present a control priority for public health agencies. New York City (NYC) harbors one of the largest rat populations in the United States, but surprising little study has been undertaken to define rat ecology across varied features of this urban landscape. More importantly, factors that may contribute to increased encounters between rats and humans have rarely been explored. Using city-wide records of rat sightings reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, this investigation sought to identify sociodemographic, housing, and physical landscape characteristics that are associated with increased rat sightings across NYC census tracts. A hierarchical Bayesian conditional autoregressive Poisson model was used to assess these associations while accounting for spatial heterogeneity in the variance. Closer proximity to both subway lines and recreational public spaces was associated with a higher concentration of rat sightings, as was a greater presence of older housing, vacant housing units, and low education among the population. Moreover, these aspects of the physical and social landscape accurately predicted rat sightings across the city. These findings have identified specific features of the NYC urban environment that may help to provide direct control targets for reducing human–rat encounters.
Highlights
Rats are a prominent feature of the human landscape and can compromise public health
Each 10 m increase in the average distance from subway lines resulted in a 4% decrease in rat sightings, while each 1 m increase in the average distance from public space corresponded to a 6% decrease in rat sightings
Housing factors were associated with rat sightings, with each percentage increase in the proportion of vacant housing units corresponding to a 2% increase in rats (PR = 1.02; 95% CI [1.018–1.026]) and each 10 percentage point increase in the proportion of old housing demonstrating a 6% increase in rats (PR = 1.006; 95% CI [1.004–1.01])
Summary
Rats are a prominent feature of the human landscape and can compromise public health. Viral zoonoses are less commonly derived from rat reservoirs, though rats are the primary reservoir for Seoul hantavirus and a potential reservoir for hepatitis E virus (Himsworth et al, 2013) Some of these pathogens have been documented among rat populations in many urban centers across the US over recent decades (Gundi et al, 2012; Purcell et al, 2011; Easterbrook et al, 2007). The physical landscape is spatially diverse, comprising varying structural composition and open public space on the surface, and extensive subway and sewer tunnel systems below the surface This investigation describes the association between reported rat sightings collected from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and specific features of the social and physical landscape of NYC. The aim of the study is to identify those features that are associated with a higher prevalence of rat sightings to determine if specific locations or environments in the city present opportunity for the prevention of human–rat encounters
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