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: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=661723
• 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，并将继续是许多人畜共患病病原体(即可传播给人的病原体)的来源，这些病原体对世界各地城市的重大人类发病率和死亡率负有责任。其中许多病原体(包括鼠疫的病原体)在老鼠之间传播，并通过跳蚤从老鼠传播给人。虽然大鼠的疾病受到包括健康状况和慢性应激在内的各种因素的影响，但随后疾病向其他大鼠和人的传播直接与大鼠在内部的运动方式以及与环境的相互作用有关。*尽管坊间证据表明，老鼠在加拿大城市中蓬勃发展，但在我国，关于老鼠、它们的跳蚤和病原体的数据很少。温哥华市中心东区(DTES)被称为加拿大最贫穷的邮政编码之一，特别令人担忧，因为与贫困相关的因素众所周知会促进老鼠出没、老鼠与人接触和疾病传播。此外，以大型国际港口为特色的城市(如温哥华、蒙特利尔和哈利法克斯)可能是携带来自国外的新型病原体的老鼠的入境点。*为了着手解决缺乏关于老鼠及其病原体的数据的问题，温哥华老鼠项目(VRP；vancouverratproject t.com)成立于2010年，主要目标是描述温哥华DES中与老鼠相关的病原体的生态学和流行病学。在VRP第二阶段，我们将研究在第一阶段收集的老鼠及其跳蚤，以及通过在温哥华国际港口和加拿大其他港口城市进行额外诱捕而获得的老鼠。这些标本将被分析以：1)确定老鼠的健康、运动和环境特征如何影响老鼠之间的病原体分布；2)确定老鼠及其病原体是否通过国际航运传入一个城市，并比较城市之间某些病原体的存在；以及3)描述与跳蚤相关的细菌群落，以寻找已知和新的病原体。通过整合关于老鼠、跳蚤、它们的病原体和城市环境的信息，我们将探索老鼠是否可以作为新出现的传染性人畜共患病的来源。这项研究将使我们能够确定老鼠是否对生活在加拿大各地城市的人们构成潜在的健康风险。从这种方法中获得的知识对于开发评估、监测和减轻现在和未来与老鼠相关的风险的知情方法至关重要。**