Rodent borne zoonoses: A brief review

Rodents are the most abundant and diversified order of living mammals in the world. Since the middle ages they are known to contribute to human diseases, eg. black rats associated with distribution of plague. In modern times also rodents form a threat for public health and a number of pathogens are directly or indirectly transmitted by rodents. Of 2277 extant rodent species, 217 species are reservoirs harboring 66 zoonoses caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, helminths, and protozoa and play a major role in their transmission and spread in different ways. Among the most important diseases in terms of public health are salmonellosis, plague, leptospirosis, leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, rat-bit fever, taeniasis-like Capillaria hepatica, zoonotic babesiosis, Lassa fever, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), and the hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). In addition, Arenaviruses are responsible for South American Hemorrhagic Fevers (SAHF). Rodents may harbor different complex bacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium microti, Escherichia coli, agents of Tularemia, Tick-borne relapsing fever, Bartonellosis, Listeriosis, Lyme disease, Q fever, Ehrlichiosis and others. Recent changes in the global climate and ecosystem composition led to the spread of rodents and rodent-borne pathogens globally. Rodent control in rural environments relies mainly on the use of rodenticides. Other management methods which can be applied are trapping, habitat management (e.g., proofing, sanitation), and biocontrol (e.g., wild or domestic predators, rodent pathogens).