Distribution of commensal rodents in some shops of three districts in Malakand region, Pakistan

Abstract Using wire mesh live traps distribution pattern of the Rattus rattus and Mus musculus in different shops of three districts of Malakand region, Pakistan were recorded from September 2014 to October 2015. Over all 103 rodents (Rattus rattus 86 and Mus musculus 17) were caught during in 0.04 trap success (2448 trap nights). Regression of daily captures on cumulative captures revealed an estimate of 103 rodents from all the sampled structures with an average of 3.55 rodents per shop. R. rattus; 83.4% of captures were numerically dominant in almost all types of shops sampled, and were significantly different than Mus musculus; 16.5% of captures. Both species were found together in some shops while they were mostly trapped from the separate shops. Male rodents outnumbered the females.

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Distribution of commensal rodents in rain-fed and irrigated areas of Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.236499 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 82 ◽

Author(s):

W. Khan ◽

N. N. Nisa ◽

I. Ilahi ◽

M. Romman ◽

R. Parvez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Ratio ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Wire Mesh ◽

Agricultural Fields ◽

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ◽

Crop Field ◽

Commensal Rodents ◽

Almost All

Abstract Distribution pattern and relative abundance of the agricultural rodent pests of rain-fed and irrigated areas of district Swat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan were recorded from April 2011 to November 2013 using wire mesh live traps. A total of 350 rodents (269 Rattus rattus and 81 Mus musculus) were captured under 2268 trap nights (trap success: 0.15). Regression of daily captures on cumulative captures revealed an estimate of 350 rodents from all the sampled structures with an average of 21.8 rodents per crop field. House rats (R. rattus; 76.8% of captures) were numerically dominant in almost all types of agricultural fields, and were significantly different from the mice (Mus musculus; 23.1% of captures). Both species were found together in some fields. The sex ratio revealed that males outnumbered the females in both of the reported species.

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Morphometric Study of Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, and Rattus rattus in Qatar

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11082162 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 2162

Author(s):

Md Mazharul Islam ◽

Elmoubashar Farag ◽

Ahmad Mahmoudi ◽

Mohammad Mahmudul Hassan ◽

Muzzamil Atta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Control Program ◽

Morphometric Study ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Body Weights ◽

Commensal Rodents ◽

External Body

The current study was undertaken to estimate the morphometric pattern of three commensal rodents, i.e., Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, and Rattus rattus in Qatar. One hundred forty-eight rodents were captured from different facilities throughout Qatar. The captured rodents were used to identify the external body and cranio-mandibular morphometry. The study found that R. norvregicus was the most prevalent (n = 120, 81%, 95% CI: 73.83–87.05). Most of the rodents were collected from Al Rayan municipality (n = 92, 62%), were adults (n = 138, 93.2%, 95% CI: 87.92–96.71), and were from livestock farms (n = 79, 49%, 95% CI: 41.02–57.65). The rodents’ average body weights were 18.8 ± 2.2 gm, 264.3 ± 87.5 gm, and 130 ± 71.3 gm for M. musculus, R. norvegicus, and R. rattus, respectively. The research found that the studied rodents are smaller than those of other countries such as Turkey, Tunisia, and Iran. The study of morphometry is a useful tool for the traditional identification of small mammal species, including rodents. The average morphometric measurements of the external body and skull were normally distributed and can be used as a reference of R. norvegicus and R. rattus for Qatar. A further comprehensive study is required to investigate the rodent population index, eco-friendly control program, and public health importance in Qatar.

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Prevalencia de leptospirosis en roedores sinantrópicos de la Ciudad de Corrientes, Argentina. Período mayo 2005–junio 2008

Revista Veterinaria ◽

10.30972/vet.1921897 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 150 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

G. Marder ◽

R. M. Ruiz ◽

O. R. Bottinelli ◽

H. A. Peiretti ◽

L. Zorzo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Rattus

<p>La leptospirosis es una zoonosis causada por bacterias del género Leptospira sp., las cuales regularmente provocan brotes de la enfermedad en Argentina, donde el conocimiento de su epidemiología es incompleto. Los roedores (ratas y ratones sinantrópicos y silvestres) son los principales reservorios de leptospirosis en nuestro medio. El objetivo del estudio fue investigar la presencia de Leptospira sp. en roedores de la Ciudad de Corrientes, Argentina, así como la especie, sexo y edad de los ejemplares positivos a leptospirosis. Fueron capturados 101 especimenes, cuyo tejido renal fue utilizado para demostrar la presencia de Leptospira sp. mediante microscopio de campo oscuro a partir de cultivos de 15 días hasta un máximo de 6 meses. La tasa de positividad detectada fue de 58,4%, con una alta proporción de animales machos de la especie Rattus rattus. Solamente pudo capturarse un ejemplar de Mus musculus, que resultó infectado. Se concluye que la alta prevalencia de leptospirosis en roedores del área en estudio constituye un alarmante factor de riesgo de infección en animales domésticos y seres humanos.</p>

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Glodavci u skladištima poljoprivrednih proizvoda – štetnost i suzbijanje

Glasnik zaštite bilja ◽

10.31727/gzb.44.6.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (6) ◽

pp. 42-48

Author(s):

Dinka Grubišić ◽

Ivan Juran ◽

Mirjana Brmež ◽

Maja Šurlog ◽

Viktorija Sever ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Rattus Rattus

Glodavci su važni štetnici uskladištenih poljoprivrednih proizvoda. Uz zadovoljenje osnovnih prehrambenih potreba, štetne vrste u skladištima nalaze povoljne uvjete za razvoj i razmnožavanje te zaštitu od prirodnih neprijatelja. Najštetnije vrste glodavaca u skladištima Republike Hrvatske jesu štakori vrsta Rattus norvegicus i Rattus rattus te domaći miš Mus musculus. Osim što se hrane uskladištenim proizvodima, rasipaju ih, onečišćuju urinom, izmetom, dlakom i slinom, navedene vrste rezervoari su zoonozama koje utječu na zdravlje ljudi, te domaćih i divljih životinja. U Republici Hrvatskoj u populacijama sitnih glodavaca dokazani su uzročnici Lajmske borelioza, trihineloze, leptospiroze, Q groznice i hemoragijske vrućice s bubrežnim sindromom. Utvrđene su i višestruke infekcije glodavaca uzročnicima zoonoza. Redovito praćenje brojnosti glodavaca važno je u svrhu pravovremenog suzbijanja te smanjenja materijalnih gubitaka, ali i u svrhu sprječavanja pojave epidemija zoonoza. Uz preventivne mjere koje podrazumijevaju održavanje higijene prostora te održavanje infrastrukture, čime sprječavamo privlačenje i nastanjivanje glodavaca u skladištima, provodi se i kontinuirana deratizacija koja uključuje primjenu mehaničkih, fizikalnih i kemijskih mjera zaštite.

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Ticks on small mammals from an ecotone region impacted by rural activities in Brazil

Systematic and Applied Acarology ◽

10.11158/saa.26.2.7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 427-437

Author(s):

Rafael Quirino Moreira ◽

Vanessa Do Nascimento Ramos ◽

Adriane Suzin ◽

Diego Garcia Ramirez ◽

Paulo Ricardo De Oliveira Roth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Tick Species ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Riparian Forests ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Cerrado Biome ◽

Didelphis Albiventris

We evaluated the role of communities of small mammals from three distinct areas in a region of Cerrado mixed with Atlantic Forest remains for maintenance of tick fauna. Thirty-nine marsupials (Gracilinanus agilis, n = 34; Marmosa paraguaiana, n = 4; Didelphis albiventris, n = 1) and 33 rodents (Oecomys cleberi, n = 10; Nectomys squamipes, n = 4; Calomys tener, n = 4; Hylaeamys megacephalus, n = 4; Akodon sp., n = 3; Rattus rattus, n = 3; Cerradomys subflavus, n = 2; Mus musculus, n = 2; Rhipidomys macrurus, n = 1) were captured. Solely G. agilis and the four rodent species (N. squamipes, R. macrurus, C. subflavus and Akodon sp.) were infested. Four tick species were collected (Amblyomma dubitatum, Amblyomma sculptum, Ixodes loricatus and Ornithodoros mimon). A. dubitatum was the most abundant tick species on hosts. Capture success was higher in the dry season, but the infestation was similar in both seasons. Forested habitats, particularly riparian forests, resulted in higher number of hosts and ticks collected (from hosts and from vegetation), compared to pastures and anthropized sites. The association between C. subflavus and I. loricatus and between A. dubitatum and N. squamipes observed here is the first recorded in Cerrado biome. Areas with more patches of forest, including the Atlantic Forest fragments, tend to present a richest community of small mammals and associated ticks.

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The ecological impacts of commensal species: black rats, Rattus rattus, at the urban–bushland interface

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr15048 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 86 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Peter B. Banks ◽

Helen M. Smith

Keyword(s):

Exotic Species ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Research Priorities ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Black Rat ◽

Urban Impacts ◽

Commensal Species ◽

Commensal Rodents ◽

Black Rats

Exotic species have had devastating impacts worldwide and are a major threat to native wildlife. Human commensal species (hereafter commensals) are a special class of exotic species that live largely off the resources associated with human activity. The encroachment of commensals from an urban area into surrounding bushland has been frequently overlooked as an important component of urban impacts, even though human-commensals are common to many urban regions globally. In this review, we present theoretical and empirical evidence for the processes and outcomes occurring when exotic commensal species encroach into native bushland. Specifically we ask when, how and why exotic commensal species encroach into bushland, what determines whether they establish, and what are the ecological consequences. We focus on the black rat, Rattus rattus, arguably the archetypal commensal species with a cosmopolitan distribution and the greatest potential for ecological damage of all the commensal rodents. We expect that the processes that we outline apply to other commensal species more broadly. We argue that commensals are in fact natives of the urban milieu and only become alien when they encroach into peri-urban bushland. We propose that the mechanisms of this encroachment will be different from those of other, non-commensal exotic species because urban areas act as dispersal hubs to overcome many of the barriers of invasion that other exotic species face. We suggest that resource supplementation by urban areas creates a great potential for promoting encroachment, invasion as well as impact. However, biotic and abiotic barriers to invasion are still relevant for commensals, highlighting the need to maintain the integrity of ecosystems and wildlife populations in urban edges so as to prevent commensal incursion. We examine how commensal black rats affect wildlife via three fundamental mechanisms, namely, predation, disease transfer and competition for resources, and also consider their possible positive impacts acting as functional replacements for lost natives. We conclude the review with an outline of research priorities and future directions that are essential for progressing our understanding of the ecology of commensal species.

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The successful eradication of introduced roof rats (Rattus rattus) from Buck Island using diphacinone, followed by an irruption of house mice (Mus musculus)

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr06006 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 108 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Gary W. Witmer ◽

Frank Boyd ◽

Zandy Hillis-Starr

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

The United States ◽

Sea Turtle ◽

Pest Species ◽

National Monument ◽

Park Service ◽

Bait Stations

The United States National Park Service and the United States Wildlife Services made a planned and sustained effort to eradicate the introduced roof rats (Rattus rattus) from Buck Island Reef National Monument in the Caribbean Sea during 1998–2000. The rats were causing substantial damage to a variety of the 80-ha island’s floral and faunal resources. An island-wide grid of elevated bait stations containing anticoagulant (0.005% diphacinone; 50 ppm) rodenticide bait blocks were used to eradicate the rats. The bait stations were modified several times to assure ready access by rats while minimising access by non-target animals, especially crabs and birds. Numerous post-project trapping sessions over six years resulted in no rat captures, suggesting that, indeed, the rats had been eradicated from the island. No non-target losses resulting from the baiting program were observed by field personnel, but they noted what appeared to be a recovery of some of the island’s floral and faunal resources. There have been no depredations of endangered sea turtle nests since the eradication. Post-project monitoring sessions revealed the presence of a growing house mouse (Mus musculus) population on the island. The threats posed by, and potential management strategies for, this introduced pest species are being investigated. This is the first successful rat eradication on a sizable island, using diphacinone bait blocks with a unique, elevated bait-station system. Diphacinone can provide an alternative to the highly toxic brodifacoum and may help reduce non-target hazards in some situations, although several applications are generally required.

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Dietary niche differentiation among three species of invasive rodents (Rattus rattus, R. exulans, Mus musculus)

Biological Invasions ◽

10.1007/s10530-012-0348-0 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 1037-1048 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Aaron B. Shiels ◽

Caitlin A. Flores ◽

Arthur Khamsing ◽

Paul D. Krushelnycky ◽

Stephen M. Mosher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Dietary Niche ◽

Invasive Rodents

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Prevalence of Calodium hepaticum and Cysticercus fasciolaris in Urban Rats and Their Histopathological Reaction in the Livers

Journal of Veterinary Medicine ◽

10.1155/2014/172829 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bharathalingam Sinniah ◽

Muniandy Narasiman ◽

Saequa Habib ◽

Ong Gaik Bei

Keyword(s):

Close Contact ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Liver Parenchyma ◽

Zoonotic Diseases ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Cysticercus Fasciolaris ◽

High Infection ◽

Calodium Hepaticum ◽

Granulomatous Lesions ◽

Almost All

Humans can get infected with several zoonotic diseases from being in close contact with rats. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence and histopathological changes caused by Calodium hepaticum and Cysticercus fasciolaris in infected livers of wild caught urban rats. Of the 98 urban rats (Rattus rattus diardii and Rattus norvegicus) autopsied, 64.3% were infected; 44.9% were infected with Caladium hepatica, 39.3% were infected with Cysticercus fasciolaris, and 20.4% were infected with both parasites. High infection rates suggest that urban rats are common reservoir for both parasites, which are potentially a threat to man. Calodium hepaticum infections were identified by the presence of ova or adults in the liver parenchyma. They appear as yellowish white nodules, measuring 1–7 mm in diameter or in streaks scattered widely over the serosal surface of the liver. Cysticercus fasciolaris infections are recognized morphologically by their shape (round or oval) and are creamy white in colour. Histological studies of Calodium hepaticum showed areas of granulomatous lesions with necrotic areas around the dead ova and adults. In almost all cases, the rats appeared robust, looked healthy, and showed no visible signs of hepatic failure despite the fact that more than 64.0% of their livers were infected by either one or both parasites.

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