Rats as a Source for Emerging Zoonoses: Understanding the Interactions Between Rats, Pathogens, and the Urban Environment

老鼠是新兴人畜共患病的来源：了解老鼠、病原体和城市环境之间的相互作用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-05058
• 负责人: Patrick, David
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=613330
• 关键词: Rats; Source; Emerging; Zoonoses; Understanding

Rats have been, and continue to be, the source of numerous zoonotic pathogens (i.e., pathogens transmissible to people) responsible for significant human morbidity and mortality in cities around the world. A number of these pathogens (including the etiologic agent of the plague) are transmitted among rats and from rats to people by fleas. While disease in rats is influenced by a variety of factors including health status and chronic stress, the subsequent spread of disease to other rats and to people is directly related to how rats move within and interact with their environment. Despite anecdotal evidence that rats are thriving in Canadian cities, there is little data in our country on rats, their fleas, and their pathogens. Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), known as one of Canada’s poorest postal codes, is of particular concern because factors associated with poverty are known to promote rat infestations, rat-human contact, and disease transmission. In addition, cities which feature large international ports (such as Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax) may serve as entry points for rats carrying novel pathogens from abroad. To begin to address this lack of data on rats and their pathogens, the Vancouver Rat Project (VRP; vancouverratproject.com) was founded in 2010 with the overarching objective to characterize the ecology and epidemiology of rat-associated pathogens in Vancouver’s DTES. For Phase II of the VRP, we will study rats and their fleas collected during Phase I, as well as rats obtained through additional trapping at Vancouver’s international port and other Canadian port cities. These specimens will be analyzed to: 1) determine how rat health, movement, and environmental characteristics influence pathogen distribution among rats; 2) resolve whether rats and their pathogens are introduced to a city through international shipping, and compare the presence of certain pathogens between cities; and 3) describe the bacterial communities associated with fleas to look for known and novel pathogens. By integrating information on rats, fleas, their pathogens, and the urban environment, we will explore whether rats could serve as a source for emerging infectious zoonoses. This research will allow us to determine whether rats pose a potential health risk to people living in cities across Canada. Knowledge gained from this approach will be essential for developing informed approaches to assess, monitor, and mitigate rat-associated risks now and in the future.

老鼠一直是并将继续是造成世界各地城市大量人类发病率和死亡率的众多人畜共患病原体（即传播给人的病原体）的来源。其中一些病原体（包括鼠疫的病原）在大鼠之间传播，并通过跳蚤从大鼠传播给人。虽然大鼠的疾病受到多种因素的影响，包括健康状况和慢性应激，但随后疾病向其他大鼠和人的传播与大鼠如何在其环境中移动以及与环境的相互作用直接相关。