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Geospatial Modelling and Univariate Analysis of Commensal Rodent-Borne Cestodoses: The Case of Invasive spp. of Rattus and Indigenous Mastomys coucha From South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Poor socio-economic and unsanitary conditions are conducive to commensal rodent infestations, and these conditions are widespread in South Africa. Cestode species of zoonotic interest are highly prevalent in commensal rodents, such as invasive Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus, Rattus tanezumi, and indigenous Mastomys coucha, and have been frequently recovered from human stool samples. These cestode species have similar transmission dynamics to traditional soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), which ties them to infections associated with poverty and poor sanitation. Univariate analysis was used in the present study to determine the association between rodent-related factors and cestode prevalence, while ecological niche modelling was used to infer the potential distribution of the cestode species in South Africa. Cestode prevalence was found to be associated with older rodents, but it was not significantly associated with sex, and ectoparasite presence. The predicted occurrence for rodent-borne cestodes predominantly coincided with large human settlements, typically associated with significant anthropogenic changes. In addition, cestode parasite occurrence was predicted to include areas both inland and along the coast. This is possibly related to the commensal behaviour of the rodent hosts. The study highlights the rodent-related factors associated with the prevalence of parasites in the host community, as well as the environmental variables associated with parasite infective stages that influence host exposure. The application of geospatial modelling together with univariate analysis to predict and explain rodent-borne parasite prevalence may be useful to inform management strategies for targeted interventions.

SUBMITTER: Julius RS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8226005 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The current control strategies employing chemotherapy with diethylcarbamazine, ivermectin and albendazole have reduced transmission in some filaria-endemic areas, there is growing interest for complementary approaches, such as vaccines especially in light of threat of parasite developing resistance to mainstay drugs. We earlier demonstrated recombinant heavy chain myosin of B. malayi (Bm-Myo) as a potent vaccine candidate whose efficacy was enhanced by heterologous DNA prime/protein boost (Myo-pcD+Bm-Myo) vaccination in BALB/c mice. BALB/c mouse though does not support the full developmental cycle of B. malayi, however, the degree of protection may be studied in terms of transformation of challenged infective larvae (L3) to next stage (L4) with an ease of delineating the generated immunological response of host. In the current investigation, DNA vaccination with Bm-Myo was therefore undertaken in susceptible rodent host, Mastomys coucha (M. coucha) which sustains the challenged L3 and facilitates their further development to sexually mature adult parasites with patent microfilaraemia. Immunization schedule consisted of Myo-pcD and Myo-pcD+Bm-Myo followed by B. malayi L3 challenge and the degree of protection was evaluated by observing microfilaraemia as well as adult worm establishment. Myo-pcD+Bm-Myo immunized animals not only developed 78.5% reduced blood microfilarial density but also decreased adult worm establishment by 75.3%. In addition, 75.4% of the recovered live females revealed sterilization over those of respective control animals. Myo-pcD+Bm-Myo triggered higher production of specific IgG and its isotypes which induced marked cellular adhesion and cytotoxicity (ADCC) to microfilariae (mf) and L3 in vitro. Both Th1 and Th2 cytokines were significantly up-regulated displaying a mixed immune response conferring considerable protection against B. malayi establishment by engendering a long-lasting effective immune response and therefore emerges as a potential vaccination method against LF.

Project description:BackgroundRattus rattus is a widely distributed, invasive species that presents an important role in disease transmission, either directly or through vector arthropods such as fleas. These black rats can transmit a wide variety of pathogens, including bacteria of the genus Bartonella, which can cause diseases in humans and animals. In Chile, no data are available identifying fleas from synanthropic rodents as Bartonella vectors. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in the fleas of R. rattus in areas with different climate conditions and featuring different human population densities.MethodsIn all, 174 fleas collected from 261 R. rattus captured from 30 localities with different human densities (cities, villages, and wild areas) across five hydrographic zones of Chile (hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid, sub-humid, and hyper-humid) were examined. Bartonella spp. presence was determined through polymerase chain reaction, using gltA and rpoB genes, which were concatenated to perform a similarity analysis with BLAST and phylogenetic analysis.ResultsOverall, 15 fleas species were identified; Bartonella gltA and rpoB fragments were detected in 21.2% (37/174) and 19.5% (34/174) of fleas, respectively. A total of 10 of the 15 fleas species found were positive for Bartonella DNA. Leptopsylla segnis was the most commonly collected flea species (n = 55), and it also presented a high prevalence of Bartonella DNA (P% = 34.5%). The highest numbers of fleas of this species were collected in villages of the arid zone. There were no seasonal differences in the prevalence of Bartonella DNA. The presence of Bartonella DNA in fleas was recorded in all hydrographic areas, and the arid zone presented the highest prevalence of this species. Regarding areas with different human densities, the highest prevalence was noted in the villages (34.8% gltA and 31.8% rpoB), followed by cities (14.8% gltA and 11.1% rpoB) and wild areas (7.4% gltA and 14.8% rpoB). The BLAST analysis showed a high similitude (>96%) with four uncharacterized Bartonella genotypes and with two species with zoonotic potential: B. mastomydis and B. tribocorum. The phylogenetic analysis showed a close relationship with B. elizabethae and B. tribocorum. This is the first study to provide evidence of the presence of Bartonella in fleas of R. rattus in Chile, indicating that the villages and arid zone correspond to areas with higher infection risk.

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Geospatial Modelling and Univariate Analysis of Commensal Rodent-Borne Cestodoses: The Case of Invasive spp. of Rattus and Indigenous Mastomys coucha From South Africa.

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