scholarly journals First mtDNA Sequences and Body Measurements for Rattus norvegicus from the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus

Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Eleftherios Hadjisterkotis ◽  
George Konstantinou ◽  
Daria Sanna ◽  
Monica Pirastru ◽  
Paolo Mereu
Keyword(s):  
Rattus Norvegicus ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Body Measurements ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
Mediterranean Island ◽  
Brown Rat ◽  
Primary Driver ◽  
Black Rats

Invasive species are the primary driver of island taxa extinctions and, among them, those belonging to the genus Rattus are considered as the most damaging. The presence of black rat (Rattus rattus) on Cyprus has long been established, while that of brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is dubious. This study is the first to provide molecular and morphological data to document the occurrence of R. norvegicus in the island of Cyprus. A total of 223 black rats and 14 brown rats were collected. Each sample was first taxonomically attributed on the basis of body measurements and cranial observations. Four of the specimens identified as R. norvegicus and one identified as R. rattus were subjected to molecular characterization in order to corroborate species identification. The analyses of the mitochondrial control region were consistent with morphological data, supporting the taxonomic identification of the samples. At least two maternal molecular lineages for R. norvegicus were found in Cyprus. The small number of brown rats collected in the island, as well as the large number of samples of black rats retrieved in the past years might be an indication that the distribution of R. norvegicus is still limited into three out of the six districts of Cyprus.

scholarly journals Ecological aspects of the epidemiology of infection with leptospires of the Ballum serogroup in the black rat (Rattus rattus) and the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) in New Zealand

1981 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Hathaway ◽  
D. K. Blackmore
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Rattus Norvegicus ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Suitable Host ◽  
Indirect Transmission ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
Brown Rat ◽  
High Level ◽  
Black Rats

SummaryEpidemiological aspects of infection with leptospires of the Ballum serogroup in black rats (Rattus rattus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are described. Rats inhabiting a variety of habitats were investigated and isolates identified as belonging to the Ballum serogroup were obtained from 21 of 61 black rats (34%) and 63 of 243 brown rats (26%). The high level of endemic Ballum serogroup infection in these species reported here has not been described in other countries.A statistical relationship was shown between the prevalence of infection in brown rat populations and population density but this was not evident for black rats. Epidemiological data indicates that the black rat is a maintenance host for leptospires of the Ballum serogroup in New Zealand. The brown rat does not appear to be an efficient maintenance host for these leptospires, however endemic infection can be maintained in high-density populations inhabiting synanthropic foci.An hypothesis of ‘competitive exclusion’ (preferential maintenance of a particular serovar by a host species) is introduced with regard to leptospiral infection in brown rats. It is concluded that the establishment and maintenance of an endemic focus of leptospirosis is dependant on: introduction of a particular serovar; a suitable host; and a suitable host habitat. Within a maintenance population direct transmission appears to be more important than indirect transmission via the environment.

scholarly journals Isolates of cytomegalovirus (CMV) from the black rat Rattus rattus form a distinct group of rat CMV

2004 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 1313-1317 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Smith ◽  
J. N. Tonkin ◽  
M. A. Lawson ◽  
G. R. Shellam
Keyword(s):  
Rattus Norvegicus ◽  
Genetic Characterization ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Distinct Group ◽  
Virus Species ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
Pcr Rflp ◽  
Brown Rat ◽  
Prototype Virus

Two different betaherpesviruses, the English and Maastricht species of rat cytomegalovirus (CMV), have previously been isolated from Rattus norvegicus. CMVs were isolated from both the brown rat, R. norvegicus, and the black rat, R. rattus, within Australia. The viruses isolated from R. norvegicus appeared to be genetically related to the English species of rat CMV by PCR, RFLP, and sequencing, but the viruses isolated from R. rattus were distinct from both prototype virus species, although more closely genetically related to the Maastricht virus. This is the first genetic characterization of cytomegaloviruses from R. rattus, and the first isolation of CMVs from Australian rats.

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

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
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.

Keeping Australia’s islands free of introduced rodents: the Barrow Island example

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope Greenslade ◽  
Andrew A Burbidge ◽  
A Jasmyn ◽  
J Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Gas Processing ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
On This Island ◽  
Threatened Taxa ◽  
Eradication Costs ◽  
Economic Considerations ◽  
Black Rats

Islands are important reservoirs of endemic and threatened species, but anthropogenic influences have impacted their biotas. Australia has over 8000 islands, both continental and oceanic, but because of considerably increased traffic, both tourist and commercial, many of these islands have been and are subject to increased threats from invasive species. The invasive Black Rat Rattus rattus is of particular concern as it can negatively impact mammal, bird, reptile, invertebrate and plant populations. Barrow Island, in northwest Western Australia, is an island requiring particular protection from Black Rats as it is a Class A nature reserve with many unique and threatened taxa that is subject to major disturbances from activities associated with oil extraction and a large liquefied natural gas processing plant. Strict quarantine is currently imposed on all materials and persons being sent to the island and there is an intense on-island surveillance programme. So far the protocols used have prevented Black Rats establishing on this island, but such a level of biosecurity is clearly impossible for all islands. In this paper we discuss the effectiveness of quarantine inspections and surveillance together and alone in protecting high-risk, high-value Australian islands against introduced rodents and we document eradication costs for other islands. World-wide, it has only been possible so far to eradicate rats from relatively small islands, mostly with no non-target indigenous mammals and larger islands only where there are no non-target indigenous mammals. Models based largely on economic considerations have suggested it is more cost effective to use surveillance alone without quarantine for Black Rats on Barrow Island and that if rats become widespread (an estimated 4% risk), it may be more cost effective not to attempt eradication. Such models provide useful guidance for managers where biodiversity values are relatively low or where there are no non-target species, but for Barrow island we argue for continuation of quarantine as well as surveillance and an increased level of quarantine controls at the point of departure on all people, vessels and aircraft visiting other vulnerable Australian islands.

scholarly journals A survey of zoonotic pathogens carried by house mouse and black rat populations in Yucatan, Mexico

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (11) ◽  
pp. 2287-2295 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. PANTI-MAY ◽  
R. R. C. DE ANDRADE ◽  
Y. GURUBEL-GONZÁLEZ ◽  
E. PALOMO-ARJONA ◽  
L. SODÁ-TAMAYO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
House Mouse ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Rat Kidney ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Zoonotic Pathogens ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
Black Rats

SUMMARYThe house mouse (Mus musculus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus) are reservoir hosts for zoonotic pathogens, several of which cause neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Studies of the prevalence of these NTD-causing zoonotic pathogens, in house mice and black rats from tropical residential areas are scarce. Three hundred and two house mice and 161 black rats were trapped in 2013 from two urban neighbourhoods and a rural village in Yucatan, Mexico, and subsequently tested forTrypanosoma cruzi,Hymenolepis diminutaandLeptospira interrogans. Using the polymerase chain reaction we detectedT. cruziDNA in the hearts of 4·9% (8/165) and 6·2% (7/113) of house mice and black rats, respectively. We applied the sedimentation technique to detect eggs ofH. diminutain 0·5% (1/182) and 14·2% (15/106) of house mice and black rats, respectively. Through the immunofluorescent imprint method,L. interroganswas identified in 0·9% (1/106) of rat kidney impressions. Our results suggest that the black rat could be an important reservoir forT. cruziandH. diminutain the studied sites. Further studies examining seasonal and geographical patterns could increase our knowledge on the epidemiology of these pathogens in Mexico and the risk to public health posed by rodents.

Trappability of introduced and native rodents in different trap types in coastal forests of south-eastern Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki L. Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Coastal Forests ◽  
Sex Structure ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Invaluable Tool ◽  
Invasive Rodents ◽  
Abundance And Distribution ◽  
Black Rats

Trapping is an invaluable tool for estimating community composition and population size and structure of mammals. Bias in the relative contribution of species to a community and the age and sex structure of populations can occur where the traps used do not equally trap all species, sexes or cohorts. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of enclosed Elliott traps and open wire cage traps in trapping the invasive black rat, Rattus rattus, and the native rodent, Rattus fuscipes. Both trap types were suitable for trapping R. fuscipes and there was no apparent bias in capture of sex and age classes. In contrast, black rats were considerably more trappable in cage traps. Juveniles were more readily trapped in Elliott traps than adults, but were still considerably undersampled where only Elliott traps were used. These findings have important implications for sampling invasive rodents in Australian forests where Elliott traps are commonly used to census small mammals. Only using Elliott traps will underestimate density, distribution and impacts of R. rattus in native habitats. Cage traps or a combination of traps are recommended for reliably trapping black rats and obtaining representative data on presence, abundance and distribution.

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