Rodent Control Research Articles

Barn Owls Can Decrease Pesticide Use

Rodents are a danger to farmers because they damage farm crops. For the last 100 years, chemical pesticides have been used to kill rodents, but these chemicals harm the ecosystem, humans, and all sorts of wildlife, including migratory birds. Barn owls may be a solution! These nocturnal birds of prey are common over most of the world and can act as biological pest-control agents. Barn owls nest near and in farm fields and specialize in hunting rodents—a pair of barn owls eliminates 2,000–6,000 rodents per year. A project using barn owls for rodent control began in Israel in 1983, with the placement of 14 nesting boxes. Today, there are about 5,000 nesting boxes throughout Israel, and the use of harmful pesticides has decreased by more than 50%. Several other countries have also joined, or plan to join, the project. This project is a unique method that promotes a healthier environment and can connect nations, farmers, researchers, and conservationists.

Seropositivity of Leptospira in rodents, shrews, and domestic animals in Unguja, Tanzania

Background: Leptospirosis is one of the most commonly neglected zoonoses in developing nations including Tanzania. This study aims to find out the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in rodents, shrews, and domestic animals in different regions in Unguja Island, Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from January to April 2022. The blood samples were collected from rodents and shrews (n=248), cattle (n=247), goats (n=130), sheep (n=32), and dogs (n=80). The blood samples were allowed to clot in a slanted position and serum samples were harvested. A microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed on the sera to check for leptospiral antibodies using five Leptospira serovars as antigens (Sokoine, Lora, Pomona, Grippotyphosa and Hebdomadis). Results: The overall seropositivity of leptospiral antibodies was 9.68% in rodents and shrews, 14.57% in cattle, 10.01% in goats, 31.25% in sheep, and 26.25% in dogs. The seropositivity of Leptospira varied significantly with animal species (OR=1.9, 95 % CI:1.1-3.3, p=0.03). The most frequently detected serovar was Sokoine (27.89%), followed by Pomona (19.47%), Lora (18.26%), Grippotyphosa (17.98%), and Hebdomadis (8.16%), respectively. Conclusion: Our study suggests that further research should be conducted to find out factors of high seropositivity of leptospiral in Unguja. Vaccination of domestic animals with vaccines against local Leptospira strains should be encouraged, and rodent control and public awareness should be emphasized.

Validation and interlaboratory comparison of anticoagulant rodenticide analysis in animal livers using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are used to control rodent populations. Poisoning of non-target species can occur by accidental consumption of commercial formulations used for rodent control. A robust method for determining ARs in animal tissues is important for animal postmortem diagnostic and forensic purposes. We evaluated an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) method to quantify 8 ARs (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, coumachlor, dicoumarol, difethialone, diphacinone, warfarin) in a wide range of animal (bovine, canine, chicken, equine, porcine) liver samples, including incurred samples. We further evaluated UPLC-MS in 2 interlaboratory comparison (ILC) studies; one an ILC exercise (ICE), the other a proficiency test (PT). The limits of detection of UPLC-MS were 0.3-3.1 ng/g, and the limits of quantification were 0.8-9.4 ng/g. The recoveries obtained using UPLC-MS were 90-115%, and relative SDs were 1.2-13% for each of the 8 ARs for the 50, 500, and 2,000 ng/g spiked liver samples. The overall accuracy from the laboratories participating in the 2 ILC studies (4 and 11 laboratories for ICE and PT studies, respectively) were 86-118%, with relative repeatability SDs of 3.7-11%, relative reproducibility SDs of 7.8-31.2%, and Horwitz ratio values of 0.5-1.5. Via the ILC studies, we verified the accuracy of UPLC-MS for AR analysis in liver matrices and demonstrated that ILC can be utilized to evaluate performance characteristics of analytical methods.

Determination of fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine by accelerated solvent extraction-ion chromatography-mass spectrometry

Fluoroacetic acid is a highly polar poison used for rodent control. When ingested by the human body, it seriously damages nerve cells and heart tissues and even causes death by cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. Common detection methods for fluoroacetic acid include gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, both of which require complex pretreatment methods, such as derivatization. In this study, a method to determine fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine based on accelerated solvent extraction-ion chromatography-mass spectrometry (ASE-IC-MS) was established. Two pretreatment methods, namely, acetonitrile precipitation and accelerated solvent extraction, were compared. Furthermore, the effects of different extraction conditions, such as the extraction time, extraction temperature, and number of cycles, were investigated. The most suitable chromatographic separation conditions, such as the chromatographic column, column temperature, and elution procedure, were determined, and the MS conditions, such as the collision energy (CE) and declustering potential (DP) of the ion pairs of the target compound, were investigated. Based on the experimental results, the optimal pretreatment methods and detection conditions were obtained, and reliable data were collected. Deionized water was used as the extraction solvent, and blood and urine samples were processed by accelerated solvent extractor. The supernatant was sequentially collected via centrifugal ultrafiltration and 0.22 μm membrane filtration, diluted 50 times, and then injected into the chromatographic column for detection. An Ion Pac AS20 IC column was used for isocratic elution with 15.0 mmol/L KOH solution as the eluent. The effluent was passed through a suppressor and into a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, which was used to perform MS/MS (ESI-) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The quantitative ion was m/z 77.0>57.0 when the CE and DP were -15.0 eV and -20.0 V, respectively. An external standard method was used for quantitative analysis. The results showed a good linear relationship for fluoroacetic acid in the range of 0.5-500.0 μg/L (r>0.999), with limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.14 and 0.47 μg/L, respectively. The recoveries of fluoroacetic acid in blood and urine were 93.4%-95.8% and 96.2%-98.4%, respectively. The intra-day RSDs for blood and urine were 0.8%-1.6% and 0.2%-1.0%, respectively, while the inter-day RSDs were 2.3%-3.8% and 3.9%-6.9%, respectively. Further investigation revealed that the matrix effects of this method in blood and urine, at -7.4% and -3.0%, respectively, were fairly weak. The established method was successfully applied to detect fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine obtained from a poisoning case, and the results obtained provided crucial clues that led to swift case resolution. The efficiency of the method was significantly higher than that of conventional detection methods. In conclusion, the developed method has high sensitivity and good repeatability and is suitable for the rapid detection of fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine. Moreover, because this method does not require derivatization, it is simple and efficient.

An Interactive Framework for Visually Realistic 3D Motion Synthesis using Evolutionarily-trained Spiking Neural Networks

We present an end-to-end method for capturing the dynamics of 3D human characters and translating them for synthesizing new, visually-realistic motion sequences. Conventional methods employ sophisticated, but generic, control approaches for driving the joints of articulated characters, paying little attention to the distinct dynamics of human joint movements. In contrast, our approach attempts to synthesize human-like joint movements by exploiting a biologically-plausible, compact network of spiking neurons that drive joint control in primates and rodents. We adapt the controller architecture by introducing learnable components and propose an evolutionary algorithm for training the spiking neural network architectures and capturing diverse joint dynamics. Our method requires only a few samples for capturing the dynamic properties of a joint's motion and exploits the biologically-inspired, trained controller for its reconstruction. More importantly, it can transfer the captured dynamics to new visually-plausible motion sequences. To enable user-dependent tailoring of the resulting motion sequences, we develop an interactive framework that allows for editing and real-time visualization of the controlled 3D character. We also demonstrate the applicability of our method to real human motion capture data by learning the hand joint dynamics from a gesture dataset and using our framework to reconstruct the gestures with our 3D animated character. The compact architecture of our joint controller emerging from its biologically-realistic design, and the inherent capacity of our evolutionary learning algorithm for parallelization, suggest that our approach could provide an efficient and scalable alternative for synthesizing 3D character animations with diverse and visually-realistic motion dynamics.

Mitigating neophobia behaviour of Bandicota bengalensis in accepting poison bait and traps using sulphur compounds as additives

This study aimed to assess the potential of five different sulphur compounds, namely carbon disulphide, dimethyl sulphoxide, dimethyl sulphide, allyl sulphide, and dimethyl disulphide as bait additives in mitigating neophobia behaviour of Bandicota bengalensis towards poison bait and traps. The efficacy of different concentrations (5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 ppm) of each of the sulphur compounds in enhancing bait acceptance was evaluated by exposing them to rats in a laboratory setting. The results showed significantly higher acceptance of bait containing 5 ppm concentration of all the compounds. Moreover, exposure of bait mixed with 5 ppm of all the compounds under multi-choice condition in radial maze revealed higher consumption by female rats of bait admixed with carbon disulphide, while male rats consumed the baits containing carbon disulphide and dimethyl sulphide to a greater extent. Female rats showed significantly higher acceptance (76.22%) of 2% zinc phosphide bait admixed with 5 ppm of carbon disulphide while male rats showed significantly higher acceptance of 2% zinc phosphide bait admixed with carbon disulphide (70.83%) and dimethyl sulphide (60.28%). Field experiments showed that 2% zinc phosphide bait mixed with 50 ppm carbon disulphide significantly reduced rodent activity in wheat crop fields. In laboratory and semi-field conditions, carbon disulphide at a concentration of 5 ppm and, in crop fields, at a concentration of 50 ppm, increased the efficacy of multi-catch traps for B. bengalensis. The study suggests that using carbon disulphide can enhance poison bait acceptance and trapping, thereby mitigating neophobia behaviour and improving rodent control success.

Biological invasions in international seaports: a case study of exotic rodents in Cotonou

Black rat (Rattus rattus), brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), and house mouse (Mus musculus) are known to be among the most common anthropophilic rodent species in cities worldwide. These species are responsible for the destruction of domestic and industrial materials, considerable damage to food stocks as well as zoonotic pathogens circulation and transmission to humans and animals. These invasive species have disseminated in all continents following human-mediated exchanges, especially maritime transports. In particular, seaports appear as privileged rats and mice’s entry points into new regions, thus making them international regulations’ priorities for rodent surveillance and management. Yet, studies on seaport rodents are rare; in particular, investigations on their genetic structure are almost inexistent, thus precluding science-guided interventions. In order to fill such a gap, our study focused on the population genetics of R. rattus, R. norvegicus and M. musculus in the Autonomous Port of Cotonou, Benin. Nine different sites were surveyed for three years. In total, 366 R. rattus, 188 R. norvegicus and 244 M. musculus were genotyped using 18 microsatellites, 16 microsatellites and 17 microsatellites, respectively. Our results show very well-structured genetic clusters in all three species as well as limited impacts of rodent control campaigns. Using comparisons with genotypes from other European, Asian and African countries, we suggest for the first time that settlement of newly introduced individuals may be a rare event. Implications in terms of management units and control and monitoring are discussed.

A Remote Monitoring System for Rodent Infestation Based on LoRaWAN.

Rodent infestations are a common problem that can result in several issues, including diseases, damage to property, and crop loss. Conventional methods of controlling rodent infestations often involve using mousetraps and applying rodenticides manually, leading to high manpower expenses and environmental pollution. To address this issue, we introduce a system for remotely monitoring rodent infestations using Internet of Things (IoT) nodes equipped with Long Range (LoRa) modules. The sensing nodes wirelessly transmit data related to rodent activity to a cloud server, enabling the server to provide real-time information. Additionally, this approach involves using images to auxiliary detect rodent activity in various buildings. By capturing images of rodents and analyzing their behavior, we can gain insight into their movement patterns and activity levels. By visualizing the recorded information from multiple nodes, rodent control personnel can analyze and address infestations more efficiently. Through the digital and quantitative sensing technology proposed at this stage, it can serve as a new objective indicator before and after the implementation of medication or other prevention and control methods. The hardware cost for the proposed system is approximately USD 43 for one sensor module and USD 17 for one data collection gateway (DCG). We also evaluated the power consumption of the sensor module and found that the 3.7 V 18,650 Li-ion batteries in series can provide a battery life of two weeks. The proposed system can be combined with rodent control strategies and applied in real-world scenarios such as restaurants and factories to evaluate its performance.

Rodent management in Aotearoa New Zealand: approaches and challenges to landscape-scale control.

Aotearoa-New Zealand has only four rodent species, all introduced. In order of arrival, they are Pacific rat Rattus exulans, brown rat R. norvegicus, house mouse Mus musculus, and black rat R. rattus. Rodent management in New Zealand aims mainly to conserve indigenous biodiversity rather than to protect crops or manage diseases, as is usual elsewhere. We describe four major "regimes" and one major vision for rodent control in New Zealand to meet ecological restoration objectives. Current challenges for island eradications are for large islands that are remote or populated by people. Aerial 1080 is the only large-scale (tens of thousands of hectares) option for black rat control, but its application requires adjustment to counter subsequent rapid black rat repopulation. Unfenced "ecosanctuaries" (mean 720 ha) use ground-based traps and poisons to target mainly black rats and face constant reinvasion. Ecosanctuaries with mammal-resistant fences (up to 3500 ha) limit reinvasion and target more pest species and have enabled the return of previously extirpated taxa to the main islands. Predator Free 2050 aims to eradicate the rat species (but not mice) plus some other introduced mammals from New Zealand by 2050. This vision is not attainable with current tools, but research and experimental management is exploring techniques and technologies. The large scale (to 100000 ha) at which black rats are now targeted for control to extremely low abundance seems to be unique to New Zealand.

Genetic profile of domestic cat (Felis catus L.) population of Aoshima Island (Japan).

The paper analyzes the genetic profile of the domestic cat population of the Aoshima Island. The population has been established in the middle of the last century, after a small group of animals was imported for rodent control. Based on three photographs, the genotypes of the cats in three overlapping groups (75, 56, and 70 individuals) were determined. The mutant allele frequencies of the sex-linked O (Orange) locus and the three autosomal loci a, W, and l (Agouti, White, and Long hair) responsible for coat color and length were estimated. The population lacks the mutant alleles d (Dilution locus), W and wg (White), tab (Tabby), Ti A (Ticked) present in other populations of Japan. This is an almost monomorphic population with prevailing red and tortoiseshell individuals. Most cats have interrupted stripes (genotype Ti+Ti+TaM-). The island's population differs from the other populations of the Japanese islands in the frequencies of two mutant alleles, O and a. The frequency of the O allele (q(O) = 0.580) is one of the highest in the region, while the frequency of the a allele (q(a) = 0.276) is two times lower than in the other populations. In both cases, the differences in frequencies between the neighbouring populations are significant (p < 0.0001). An independent study of the same population revealed a similar genetic structure. However, it detected the presence of the d allele, the frequency of the a allele was higher (0.534 versus 0.276, p < 0.020). The genetic profile, frequencies of mutant alleles in the population, and history of its origin indicate a significant influence of the founder effect on the genetic structure of the island's domestic cat population.

Seroepidemiology of Leptospira serovar Hardjo and associated risk factors in smallholder dairy cattle in Tanzania.

Smallholder dairy farming is crucial for the Tanzanian dairy sector which generates income and employment for thousands of families. This is more evident in the northern and southern highland zones where dairy cattle and milk production are core economic activities. Here we estimated the seroprevalence of Leptospira serovar Hardjo and quantified potential risk factors associated with its exposure in smallholder dairy cattle in Tanzania. From July 2019 to October 2020, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in a subset of 2071 smallholder dairy cattle. Information about animal husbandry and health management was collected from farmers, and blood was taken from this subset of cattle. Seroprevalence was estimated and mapped to visualize potential spatial hotspots. The association between a set of animal husbandry, health management and climate variables and ELISA binary results was explored using a mixed effects logistic regression model. An overall seroprevalence of 13.0% (95% CI 11.6-14.5%) for Leptospira serovar Hardjo was found in the study animals. There was marked regional variations with the highest seroprevalence in Iringa 30.2% (95% CI 25.1-35.7%) and Tanga 18.9% (95% CI 15.7-22.6) with odds ratios of OR = 8.13 (95% CI 4.23-15.63) and OR = 4.39 (95% CI 2.31-8.37), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed the individual animal factors that were a significant risk for Leptospira seropositivity in smallholder dairy cattle were: animals over 5 years of age (OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.05-1.9); and indigenous breed (OR = 2.78, 95% CI 1.47-5.26) compared to crossbred animals SHZ-X-Friesian (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 0.99-2.21) and SHZ-X-Jersey (OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.43-1.63). Farm management factors significantly associated with Leptospira seropositivity included: hiring or keeping a bull for raising purposes (OR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.34-2.71); distance between farms of more than 100 meters (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.16-2.64); cattle kept extensively (OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.36-3.91); farms without cat for rodent control (OR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.16-3.02); farmers with livestock training (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.15-2.27). Temperature (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.18-2.26), and the interaction of higher temperature and precipitation (OR = 1.5, 95%CI 1.12-2.01) were also significant risk factors. This study indicated seroprevalence of Leptospira serovar Hardjo, as well as the risk factors driving dairy cattle leptospirosis exposure in Tanzania. The study showed an overall high leptospirosis seroprevalence with regional variations, where Iringa and Tanga represented the highest seroprevalence and risk. The study highlighted the urgent need to understand the human exposures and risks from this important zoonosis to develop control measures and awareness of the problem and quantify the economic and production impacts through abortion and milk loss. In addition, given that the available data was limited to Leptospira serovar Hardjo, the study recommends more studies to identify serologically the most common serovars in cattle for targeted vaccination and risk reduction.

Hepatorenal and Testicular Dysfunctions of Clodinafop-Propargyl Bait in Male Black Rat, Rattus rattus and Its Field Efficiency

) has become in a commensal relationship with humans and has been responsible for obvious damage to agriculture annually. In this study, clodinafop-propargyl bait (0.98%) was introduced to the adult male rats for seven days under laboratory conditions using a non-choice feeding method. The impact of the compound on the body and some organs' weights and functions was studied. Histopathological changes of the liver, kidney, and testis as well as sperm count, sperm morphology, vitality and motility percent were recorded. The efficiency of clodinafop-propargyl bait (0.98%) was evaluated under field conditions of crop stores. The results demonstrated that the body weight and testis of rats significantly decreased obviously after treatment. As well as, the treatment caused immoderate loss of water through the skin, losing appetite and slow movement of rats. While weights of the liver and kidney of treated rats significantly increased. In addition, the appearance of morphological and histopathological alterations in the liver, kidneys, and testis were observed. Also, significant elevation in serum (ALT and AST) enzymes, urea, creatinine and uric acid levels compared with control after treatment were recorded. Furthermore, sperm count, motility and vitality percentages significantly decreased (p≤0.05) in treated rats compared with controls. There were perspicuous abnormalities in the form of the head, neck, and tail of the spermatozoa in the treated rats. Regarding, sperm motility; non-progressive and immotile grades were significantly increased in treated rats compared with controls. Moreover, clodinafop-propargyl bait (0.98%) proved efficient under crop store conditions as it caused an 86.78 % reduction in the rat population. In conclusion, clodinafop-propargyl bait has a strong toxic impact on the liver, kidneys and reproductive system of male black rats affecting their fertility by destroying testicular integrity and function. Furthermore, the field results proved these impacts and achieved good results. We can conclude that this compound can be used in the control of black rats and can be used in rodent control programs.

Alpine Grassland Degradation and Its Restoration in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

The alpine grasslands of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau are one of the most famous grazing ecosystems in the world, providing a variety of ecosystem functions and services. The rate of grassland degradation has been slowed by the implementation of national grassland restoration projects, but the degradation of grasslands on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau has not yet been fundamentally reversed, and some grasslands are still degraded to varying degrees. The main causes of grassland degradation on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau are both human and natural factors. Human factors include overgrazing, over-cultivation, indiscriminate digging and mining, mineral resource development, infrastructure construction and use, and tourism development. Natural factors include climate change, wildlife destruction, pests, etc. Based on the principles of restoration ecology, a number of effective practices and integrated management responses for restoring degraded grasslands have been developed on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The degraded grassland restoration practices include fencing, fertilization, sown grassland establishment, rodent control, and grazing management. Based on these practices, the comprehensive restoration of degraded grasslands and the establishment and sustainable management of sown grasslands in the alpine grasslands of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau should be further strengthened, and research on the mechanisms of grassland degradation and restoration should be further developed.

Performance of Multiple Models for Estimating Rodent Activity Intensity in Alpine Grassland Using Remote Sensing

Rodents are a vital part of the natural succession chain of the alpine grassland ecosystem, and rodent activities have an important impact on alpine grassland ecology. Moderate rodent population activities positively improve soil permeability, promote nutrient cycling, and promote biodiversity. However, too much rodent population or excessive activity intensity will bring negative effects on the ecological environment. Therefore, it is of great significance to accurately grasp the rodent activity intensity (RAI) in alpine grassland to cope with the changes in rodent populations and maintain the stability of the alpine grassland ecosystem. The Zoige alpine grassland was used as the study area in this study. In addition, UAV was sent to sample the rodent activity area in the alpine grassland. With the aid of field survey data, the surface information of rodent activity in the experimental area was identified, and the RAI index in the sample plot was calculated. Then, based on Sentinel-2A satellite remote sensing multi-spectral data and spectral index, multiple linear regression (MLR), multi-layer perceptron neural networks (MPL neural nets), random forest (RF), and support vector regression (SVR) were used to construct four models for RAI and Sentinel-2 datasets. The accuracy of the four models was compared and analyzed. The results showed that the RF model had the highest prediction accuracy (R2 = 0.8263, RWI = 0.8210, LCCC = 0.8916, RMSE = 0.0840, MAE = 0.0549), followed by the SVR model, the MLP neural nets model, and the MLR model. Overall, the nonlinear relationship between rodent activity intensity and satellite remote sensing images is obvious. Machine learning with strong nonlinear fitting ability can better characterize the RAI in alpine grassland. The RF model, with the best accuracy, can quantitatively estimate RAI in the alpine grassland, providing theoretical and technical support for monitoring RAI and rodent control in the alpine grassland.

Multiscale environmental determinants of rats' infestation on households in a subtropical urban to rural gradient in Latin America

Strategies for the prevention and control of commensal rodents would improve with better knowledge of their response to environmental factors from different spatial scales. In this research we evaluated which different scales environmental characteristics determine rodent infestation levels in a subtropical urban to rural landscape gradient in Misiones, Argentina. A total of 87 households from an urban, a periurban and a rural landscape were surveyed at least once, with nine households surveyed repeatedly along five consecutive seasons. Rodent infestation levels were estimated using nontoxic bait stations set up in the backyard and garden of each household. Different environmental characteristics at several spatial scales were obtained from field surveys and land cover classification based on a satellite image. Rattus spp. was detected in 42.5% of the households. The lowest rodent infestations occurred in winter. Infestation levels showed spatial dependence up to 2500 m. Rodent infestation was associated with landscape types and environmental characteristics at the macro and microhabitat scales. Macrohabitat characteristics explained 53.7% of the variation of rodent infestation levels, whereas microscale explained 28.0% and landscape type only 2%. This multiscale study provides evidence that households’ characteristics may not be the most important factor to explain variations in the abundance of commensal rodents’ around human dwellings. As a consequence, prevention and control measures would be more effective if applied at the neighborhood level and during winter, since it is a critical time for preventing compensatory population responses in rodent infestations.

The Establishment of the Concept of Shu Yi and Its Significance in the History of Knowledge

Plague is one of the severe infectious diseases which has had a huge impact on human society throughout history. Although there is abundant research on the disease, few studies focus on the concept of plague itself. It is generally believed that Shu Yi was first coined by Chinese doctors in the late 19th century, and it was closely related to the introduction of new medicine. This statement is not accurate, because plague was prevalent in Yunnan and Guangdong provinces in the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, people had already recognized the relationship between the outbreak of plague and the death of rats, and gradually named the epidemic disease as Shu Yi. This name was used by literati and doctors by coincidence. As the epidemic became more and more serious, more related works were widely disseminated, and Shu Yi changed from a folk name to a formal name. Later, with the help of the government’s active introduction of modern health and epidemic prevention mechanisms and the implementation of rodent control measures, Shu Yi became more popular and gradually recognized by all walks of society. The emergence and prevalence of Shu Yi created the history of zoonosis in China, and thus formed a new paradigm of naming human epidemics after related animal names.

Colonial rodent control in Tanganyika and the application of ecological frameworks

ABSTRACT At the end of the 1920s, Tanganyika Territory experienced several serious rodent outbreaks that threatened cotton and other grain production. At the same time, regular reports of pneumonic and bubonic plague occurred in the northern areas of Tanganyika. These events led the British colonial administration to dispatch several studies into rodent taxonomy and ecology in 1931 to determine the causes of rodent outbreaks and plague disease, and to control future outbreaks. The application of ecological frameworks to the control of rodent outbreaks and plague disease transmission in colonial Tanganyika Territory gradually moved from a view that prioritised 'ecological interrelations' among rodents, fleas and people to one where those interrelations required studies into population dynamics, endemicity and social organisation in order to mitigate pests and pestilence. This shift in Tanganyika anticipated later population ecology approaches on the African continent. Drawing on sources from the Tanzania National Archives, this article offers an important case study of the application of ecological frameworks in a colonial setting that anticipated later global scientific interest in studies of rodent populations and rodent-borne disease ecologies.

Rodent activity in municipal waste collection premises in Singapore: an analysis of risk factors using mixed-effects modelling

Refuse storage and collection systems are potential sources of food and harbourage areas for rodents which transmit pathogens. We examined the factors associated with rodent activity in public housing municipal waste collection premises in a highly urbanized city-state. We analysed data from April 2019 to March 2020 in mixed-effects logistic regression models to examine the independent factors associated with rodent activity in central refuse chute rooms (CRCs), individual refuse chute (IRC) bin chambers and bin centres. We accounted for within-year patterns, repeated measures and nested effects. We observed a heterogeneous spatial distribution of rodent activity. Rodent droppings were strongly associated with rodent activity in CRCs (aOR: 6.20, 95% CI: 4.20–9.15), bin centres (aOR: 3.61, 95% CI: 1.70–7.64) and IRC bin chambers (aOR: 90.84, 95% CI: 70.13–117.67). Gnaw marks were positively associated with rodent activity in CRCs (aOR: 5.61, 95% CI: 3.55–8.97) and IRC bin chambers (aOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.43–2.95), as were rub marks in CRCs (aOR: 5.04, 95% CI: 3.44–7.37) and IRC bin chambers (aOR: 3.07, 95% CI: 1.74–5.42). Each burrow increased the odds of rodent sightings in bin centres (aOR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00–1.06). The odds of rodent sightings in an IRC bin chamber increased with every additional bin chute chamber within the same block (aOR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01–1.07). We identified several factors that well predicted rodent activity in waste collection premises. Municipal estate managers with limited resources can adopt a risk-based approach in tailoring the focus of their rodent control interventions.

Research on Forest Carbon Sink Potential in China

The original variables were 14 statistics in 31 provinces and cities in mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) in 2019, including forest area, forest tending area, afforestation area and timber production. Factor analysis was used to study the factors affecting development potential of forest carbon sinks in mainland China. The results show that the total forest resources factor extracted from the variables related to forest stock and forest land use area was the most important affecting this potential, followed by the forest climate and output value factor extracted from variables related to climate and output. Third was the forest ecological construction factor, which was extracted from forestry afforestation area related variables and fire-damaged areas. In last place was the forest disaster prevention factor extracted from forest nurturing and pest and rodent control area variables. According to systematic clustering of the comprehensive score, development potential of forest carbon sinks in 31 provinces and municipalities across the country was divided into five categories and, based on this, targeted suggestions were put forward for improvement of the above potential in various regions.

Living with rodent pests: Unifying stakeholder interests to prioritise pest management in rural Madagascar

Abstract Rodent pests can have major social, economic, and environmental impacts. Their management, therefore, represents a complex socio‐ecological problem involving a network of stakeholders from across different sectors, with diverging and sometimes competing interests. Failure to incorporate stakeholder interests can result in ineffective or unsustainable management programmes, with unintended negative consequences for people and nature. Participatory approaches to decision‐making have been proposed as suitable strategies to tackle complex problems, yet, these processes are often considered too difficult, costly, or time‐consuming to implement. To facilitate a participatory approach to rodent control in Madagascar, we identified and mapped key stakeholders and developed a multisector framework for guiding rodent management programmes based on current literature and expert recommendations. We then carried out interviews and focus groups with stakeholders and end‐users to validate the final framework. The final framework unifies stakeholder interests around the dimensions of People, Resources, Knowledge and Power. Combined application of the stakeholder map and framework provides decision‐makers with the tools to identify stakeholder interests; to explore areas of conflict, as well as areas of agreement; and to ensure that these are addressed within the design of control programmes. As an assessment tool, the framework can also be used to evaluate the responsiveness of programmes to the needs of different stakeholders and assess whether objectives are being reached. We recommend the application of the stakeholder map and framework to encourage and strengthen participatory approaches aimed at rodent pest control. Due to the inclusive and interdisciplinary nature of the framework, it can be applied to address numerous complex social, environmental, and economic issues across scales, sectors, and systems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.