Next Article in Journal
Seasonality of Acute Lyme Disease in Children
Next Article in Special Issue
Dengue Fever in Italy: The “Eternal Return” of an Emerging Arboviral Disease
Previous Article in Journal
Methicillin-Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococci and Their Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern from Healthy Dogs and Their Owners from Kathmandu Valley
Previous Article in Special Issue
Double Trouble: Dengue Followed by COVID-19 Infection Acquired in Two Different Regions: A Doctor’s Case Report and Spatial Distribution of Cases in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
TropicalMed
Volume 6
Issue 4
10.3390/tropicalmed6040195
tropicalmed-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents during the Epizootic and Enzootic Periods of Plague, with a Focus on Exu, Northeastern Brazil

by
Diego Leandro Reis da Silva Fernandes
1,†,
Matheus Filgueira Bezerra
1,†,
Bruna Mendes Duarte
1,
Mayara Paes de França Silva
1,
Hadassa de Almeida Souza
1,
Elainne Christine de Souza Gomes
2,‡ and
Alzira Maria Paiva de Almeida
1,*,‡
1
Department of Microbiology, Institute Aggeu Magalhães—Fiocruz PE, Recife 50740-467, Brazil
2
Department of Parasitology, Institute Aggeu Magalhães—Fiocruz PE, Recife 50740-467, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
‡
These authors also contributed equally to this work.
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2021, 6(4), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040195
Submission received: 30 August 2021 / Revised: 23 September 2021 / Accepted: 27 September 2021 / Published: 8 November 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Epidemiology of Vector-Borne Diseases)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

The plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium is primarily a flea-transmitted zoonosis of rodents that can also be conveyed to humans and other mammals. In this work, we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of rodent populations during epizootic and enzootic periods of the plague in the municipality of Exu, northeastern Brazil. The geospatial analyses showed that all the rodent species appeared through the whole territory of the municipality, with different occurrence hotspots for the different species. Important fluctuations in the rodent populations were observed, with a reduction in the wild rodent fauna following the end of a plague epizootic period, mostly represented by Necromys lasiurus and an increase in the commensal species Rattus rattus. A higher abundance of rats might lead to an increased exposure of human populations, favoring spillovers of plague and other rodent-borne diseases. Our analysis highlights the role of wild rodent species as amplifier hosts and of commensal rats (R. rattus) as preserver hosts in the enzootic period of a specific transmission infection area.
Keywords: Rodentia; plague; Yersinia pestis; zoonoses; disease reservoirs Rodentia; plague; Yersinia pestis; zoonoses; disease reservoirs

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Fernandes, D.L.R.d.S.; Bezerra, M.F.; Duarte, B.M.; de França Silva, M.P.; de Almeida Souza, H.; de Souza Gomes, E.C.; de Almeida, A.M.P. Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents during the Epizootic and Enzootic Periods of Plague, with a Focus on Exu, Northeastern Brazil. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2021, 6, 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040195

AMA Style

Fernandes DLRdS, Bezerra MF, Duarte BM, de França Silva MP, de Almeida Souza H, de Souza Gomes EC, de Almeida AMP. Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents during the Epizootic and Enzootic Periods of Plague, with a Focus on Exu, Northeastern Brazil. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2021; 6(4):195. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040195

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fernandes, Diego Leandro Reis da Silva, Matheus Filgueira Bezerra, Bruna Mendes Duarte, Mayara Paes de França Silva, Hadassa de Almeida Souza, Elainne Christine de Souza Gomes, and Alzira Maria Paiva de Almeida. 2021. "Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents during the Epizootic and Enzootic Periods of Plague, with a Focus on Exu, Northeastern Brazil" Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 6, no. 4: 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040195

APA Style

Fernandes, D. L. R. d. S., Bezerra, M. F., Duarte, B. M., de França Silva, M. P., de Almeida Souza, H., de Souza Gomes, E. C., & de Almeida, A. M. P. (2021). Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents during the Epizootic and Enzootic Periods of Plague, with a Focus on Exu, Northeastern Brazil. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 6(4), 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040195

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop