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\"The book details the life and habits of rats.\"-- Provided by publisher.

Reviews the global literature on the effects of rats on island flora and fauna, then uses New Zealand as a case study because of its four-decade history of rat eradications and many detailed and innovative studies of how rats affect native species, which include use of exclosures, local manipulations of rat populations, video surveillance, and measurements of responses following eradications. Considers particularly the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), and ship rat (Rattus rattus). Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.

The Black Rat (Rattus rattus) spread out of Asia to become one of the world’s worst agricultural and urban pests, and a reservoir or vector of numerous zoonotic diseases, including the devastating plague. Despite the global scale and inestimable cost of their impacts on both human livelihoods and natural ecosystems, little is known of the global genetic diversity of Black Rats, the timing and directions of their historical dispersals, and the risks associated with contemporary movements. We surveyed mitochondrial DNA of Black Rats collected across their global range as a first step towards obtaining an historical genetic perspective on this socioeconomically important group of rodents. We found a strong phylogeographic pattern with well-differentiated lineages of Black Rats native to South Asia, the Himalayan region, southern Indochina, and northern Indochina to East Asia, and a diversification that probably commenced in the early Middle Pleistocene. We also identified two other currently recognised species of Rattus as potential derivatives of a paraphyletic R. rattus. Three of the four phylogenetic lineage units within R. rattus show clear genetic signatures of major population expansion in prehistoric times, and the distribution of particular haplogroups mirrors archaeologically and historically documented patterns of human dispersal and trade. Commensalism clearly arose multiple times in R. rattus and in widely separated geographic regions, and this may account for apparent regionalism in their associated pathogens. Our findings represent an important step towards deeper understanding the complex and influential relationship that has developed between Black Rats and humans, and invite a thorough re-examination of host-pathogen associations among Black Rats.

In this first comprehensive review of negative effects of introduced rodents on insular small mammals, the focal species Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus, R. exulans and Mus musculus are implicated in at least 11 extinctions. Furthermore, removal experiments, eradication campaigns and control programmes provide evidence for negative effects on extant populations. While data are currently insufficient for meaningful generalisation with regard to the most threatening rodents, the most threatened small mammals, and the true extent of the problem, it is interesting that R. rattus is implicated in the majority of impacts. This may be explained by its extensive distribution and ecological plasticity. I conclude with methodological recommendations to guide data collection for impact quantification and the study of impact mechanism. This information should facilitate the prioritisation and justification of eradication campaigns, control programmes and biosecurity measures while ensuring that much-needed attention is paid to the conservation of insular small mammals.

Background: This study investigated the prevalence of T. lewisi in Black rats (R. rattus) and Brown rats (R. norvegicus) using both microscopic and molecular detection methods, along with the analysis of associated risk factors. Methods: A total of 178 rodents were trapped in Kasur district, with epidemiological data and geographical coordinates recorded. Rodents were identified, euthanized and blood samples were collected. T. lewisi was confirmed through microscopy, PCR, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. In the statistical analysis, descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Binary logistic regression were performed using SPSS Software. A GIS map was generated using ArcGIS 10.5.1 to illustrate geographical distribution. Results: The 178 blood samples. PCR confirmed to be either microscopically positive or negative samples. Overall prevalence of T. lewisiwas 10(5.62%). At the species level, T. lewisi prevalence was higher in Rattus rattus (7.59%) compared to R. norvegicus (4.04%). Gender and the presence of ectoparasites were identified as potential risk factors. Conclusion: These findings confirm the presence of T. lewisi in black and brown rats and serve as a baseline for further surveillance and control strategies.

The nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic pathogen and the etiological agent of human angiostrongyliasis or rat lungworm disease. Hawai‘i, particularly east Hawai‘i Island, is the epicenter for angiostrongyliasis in the USA. Rats (Rattus spp.) are the definitive hosts while gastropods are intermediate hosts. The main objective of this study was to collect adult A. cantonensis from wild rats to isolate protein for the development of a blood-based diagnostic, in the process we evaluated the prevalence of infection in wild rats. A total of 545 wild rats were sampled from multiple sites in the South Hilo District of east Hawai‘i Island. Adult male and female A. cantonensis (3,148) were collected from the hearts and lungs of humanely euthanized Rattus rattus, and R. exulans. Photomicrography and documentation of multiple stages of this parasitic nematode in situ were recorded. A total of 45.5% (197/433) of rats inspected had lung lobe(s) (mostly upper right) which appeared granular indicating this lobe may serve as a filter for worm passage to the rest of the lung. Across Rattus spp., 72.7% (396/545) were infected with adult worms, but 93.9% (512/545) of the rats were positive for A. cantonensis infection based on presence of live adult worms, encysted adult worms, L3 larvae and/or by PCR analysis of brain tissue. In R. rattus we observed an inverse correlation with increased body mass and infection level of adult worms, and a direct correlation between body mass and encysted adult worms in the lung tissue, indicating that larger (older) rats may have developed a means of clearing infections or regulating the worm burden upon reinfection. The exceptionally high prevalence of A. cantonensis infection in Rattus spp. in east Hawai‘i Island is cause for concern and indicates the potential for human infection with this emerging zoonosis is greater than previously thought.

The role of rodents in Leptospira epidemiology and transmission is well known worldwide. Rats are known to carry different pathogenic serovars of Leptospira spp. capable of causing disease in humans and animals. Wild rats (Rattus spp.), especially the Norway/brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (R. rattus), are the most important sources of Leptospira infection, as they are abundant in urban and peridomestic environments. In this study, we compiled and summarized available data in the literature on global prevalence of Leptospira exposure and infection in rats, as well as compared the global distribution of Leptospira spp. in rats with respect to prevalence, geographic location, method of detection, diversity of serogroups/serovars, and species of rat. We conducted a thorough literature search using PubMed without restrictions on publication date as well as Google Scholar to manually search for other relevant articles. Abstracts were included if they described data pertaining to Leptospira spp. in rats (Rattus spp.) from any geographic region around the world, including reviews. The data extracted from the articles selected included the author(s), year of publication, geographic location, method(s) of detection used, species of rat(s), sample size, prevalence of Leptospira spp. (overall and within each rat species), and information on species, serogroups, and/or serovars of Leptospira spp. detected. A thorough search on PubMed retrieved 303 titles. After screening the articles for duplicates and inclusion/exclusion criteria, as well as manual inclusion of relevant articles, 145 articles were included in this review. Leptospira prevalence in rats varied considerably based on geographic location, with some reporting zero prevalence in countries such as Madagascar, Tanzania, and the Faroe Islands, and others reporting as high as >80% prevalence in studies done in Brazil, India, and the Philippines. The top five countries that were reported based on number of articles include India (n = 13), Malaysia (n = 9), Brazil (n = 8), Thailand (n = 7), and France (n = 6). Methods of detecting or isolating Leptospira spp. also varied among studies. Studies among different Rattus species reported a higher Leptospira prevalence in R. norvegicus. The serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae was the most prevalent serovar reported in Rattus spp. worldwide. Additionally, this literature review provided evidence for Leptospira infection in laboratory rodent colonies within controlled environments, implicating the zoonotic potential to laboratory animal caretakers. Reports on global distribution of Leptospira infection in rats varies widely, with considerably high prevalence reported in many countries. This literature review emphasizes the need for enhanced surveillance programs using standardized methods for assessing Leptospira exposure or infection in rats. This review also demonstrated several weaknesses to the current methods of reporting the prevalence of Leptospira spp. in rats worldwide. As such, this necessitates a call for standardized protocols for the testing and reporting of such studies, especially pertaining to the diagnostic methods used. A deeper understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of Leptospira spp. in rats in urban environments is warranted. It is also pertinent for rat control programs to be proposed in conjunction with increased efforts for public awareness and education regarding leptospirosis transmission and prevention.

Reports on a field study aimed at measuring post-weaning movement distances of juvenile ship rats (Rattus rattus) and their mother away from a known natal nest site in an area with low conspecific population density. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.

Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and black rats (Rattus rattus) are among the most prolific and widespread urban pest species in the world. Yet despite their ubiquity, a unified understanding of the ecology of these species in urban habitats eludes us. A comprehensive understanding of urban rat ecology is important for managing rat populations and mitigating the harmful effects that they may have on urban ecosystems (e.g., structural damage, food contamination, and disease spread). The objective of this systematic review and narrative synthesis is to collate, compare, and contrast data from the published literature regarding the ecology of Norway and black rats in urban centers. Themes emerging from the synthesis process, and discussed in detail, include population dynamics, behavior, movement, and environmental influences on rat populations.

To address a gap in our understanding of viral infections in epidemiologically important rat species, we aimed to detect DNA viruses from the tissues of free-ranging rat populations in Hungary. DNA viruses were identified from the parenchymal organs of 230 Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus, using family-specific pan-PCR assays followed by sequencing of the PCR products. Adeno-, herpes-, circo-, and polyomaviruses were detected, while irido-, pox-, and dependoparvoviruses were not. Adenovirus DNA was present in 6.5% of the samples, herpesvirus and polyomavirus DNA in 12.2%, and circovirus DNA in 1.7%. All detected herpesviruses belonged to the β and γ subfamilies, with a majority being β herpesviruses. Some adenovirus and herpesvirus sequences were novel, while only the known Rattus norvegicus polyomavirus 1 was detected for polyomaviruses. The rare circovirus-positive samples revealed the presence of both rodent and bird circoviruses, indicating the ability of circoviruses to cross species barriers. Our findings show that rats host a variety of DNA viruses, many of which were previously uncharacterized, highlighting the need for further diagnostic studies.