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An exotic rodent as host of vectors of scrub typhus
and spotted fever on a tropical island
De-Lun Wu, Chi-Chien Kuo
National Taiwan Normal University, Disease Ecology Lab
Introduction
Rats have been implicated in the emergence and spread of infectious diseases of
humans as hosts of important arthropod vectors. The tropical Lanyu Island has a high
prevalence of scrub typhus which is transmitted by chigger mites; in addition, the local
hard ticks can also transmit spotted fever to humans. The rodent community in Lanyu
is dominated by the exotic Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) which can be observed in
different types of habitats, including grasslands and natural forests, in contrast to in
Taiwan where this species is limited to human dwelling areas. Occurrence of invasive
rats may allow chigger mites and ticks to survive in both grasslands and natural forests,
thus posing health risks for humans. This study aimed to investigate the role of the
Asian house rat in hosting chiggers and ticks and whether the grasslands and natural
forests in Lanyu also shelter chiggers and ticks.
Materials and methods
From September 2017 to June 2018, we deployed rodent traps for three
consecutive nights and collected ectoparasites from captured rodents in each of four
natural forest sites, three grassland sites, and three human dwelling sites every three
months (Fig1).
Result
A total of 254 R. tanezumi rodents were captured, from which 105680 chiggers and
1584 ticks were collected. There was a significant difference in the number of trapped
rats per trapping session among the habitats (p< 0.001), with forests (9.3±1.3
individuals; mean±SE) higher than human dwelling (2.9±0.9) (p<0.001), but there was
no difference between forests and grasslands (5.9±1.2) (p>0.05), as well as between
grasslands and human dwelling (p>0.05) (Fig2).
Discussion
Our study confirmed that the exotic Asian house rat commonly occurred in different
main habitat types on the Lanyu Island, unlike in the Taiwan main island where this
species is limited to human residence area. Moreover, total abundance of chiggers and
ticks was generally (although not always significantly) higher in grasslands and forests
than in human dwelling sites, thus elevating chance of infection of scrub typhus and
spotted fever for the local residents. Release from competitors and predators on small
volcanic islands could allow introduced rodents to expand its realized niche and
heighten risks for rodent-borne diseases.
2km
grassland
forest
dwelling
All rats were infested with chiggers. Mean abundance of chiggers (per rat) differed
significantly among the habitats (p< 0.05), with forests (280.8±279.5) lower than
grasslands (518.7±286.6) (p<0.05); human dwelling (396.3±371.2) didn’t differ with
the other two habitats (both p>0.05) (Fig3). However, total number of chiggers
(number of captures x mean number of chiggers per rat) didn’t differ among forests
(2948.9±1992.2), grasslands (3688.2±2357.2), and human dwelling (1717.5±989.5)
(all p>0.05) (Fig4).
Prevalence of tick infestation was 64.6%, and there was a significant difference in
mean abundance of ticks among the habitats (p< 0.001), with grasslands (14.8±8.1)
higher than human dwelling (0.9±0.4) (p<0.001), and forests (4.6±2.7) didn’t differ
with the other two habitats (both p>0.05) (fig5). Total number of ticks in human
dwelling (4.6±2.7) was lower than the other two habitats (both p< 0.001), and there
was no difference between grasslands (56.1±21.8) and forests (53.5±19) (p>0.05)
(Fig6).
Fig1. Sample sites in Lanyu island
Fig2. Number of rats in different habitats
Fig3. Mean abundance of chiggers (per rat) in
different habitats
Fig4. Total abundance of chiggers in different habitats
Fig5. Mean abundance of ticks (per rat) in
different habitats
Fig6. Total abundance of ticks in different habitats
a ab b
ab a b
a a a
a b ab
a b b

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An exotic rodent as host of vectors of scrub typhus and spotted fever on a tropical island

  • 1. An exotic rodent as host of vectors of scrub typhus and spotted fever on a tropical island De-Lun Wu, Chi-Chien Kuo National Taiwan Normal University, Disease Ecology Lab Introduction Rats have been implicated in the emergence and spread of infectious diseases of humans as hosts of important arthropod vectors. The tropical Lanyu Island has a high prevalence of scrub typhus which is transmitted by chigger mites; in addition, the local hard ticks can also transmit spotted fever to humans. The rodent community in Lanyu is dominated by the exotic Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) which can be observed in different types of habitats, including grasslands and natural forests, in contrast to in Taiwan where this species is limited to human dwelling areas. Occurrence of invasive rats may allow chigger mites and ticks to survive in both grasslands and natural forests, thus posing health risks for humans. This study aimed to investigate the role of the Asian house rat in hosting chiggers and ticks and whether the grasslands and natural forests in Lanyu also shelter chiggers and ticks. Materials and methods From September 2017 to June 2018, we deployed rodent traps for three consecutive nights and collected ectoparasites from captured rodents in each of four natural forest sites, three grassland sites, and three human dwelling sites every three months (Fig1). Result A total of 254 R. tanezumi rodents were captured, from which 105680 chiggers and 1584 ticks were collected. There was a significant difference in the number of trapped rats per trapping session among the habitats (p< 0.001), with forests (9.3±1.3 individuals; mean±SE) higher than human dwelling (2.9±0.9) (p<0.001), but there was no difference between forests and grasslands (5.9±1.2) (p>0.05), as well as between grasslands and human dwelling (p>0.05) (Fig2). Discussion Our study confirmed that the exotic Asian house rat commonly occurred in different main habitat types on the Lanyu Island, unlike in the Taiwan main island where this species is limited to human residence area. Moreover, total abundance of chiggers and ticks was generally (although not always significantly) higher in grasslands and forests than in human dwelling sites, thus elevating chance of infection of scrub typhus and spotted fever for the local residents. Release from competitors and predators on small volcanic islands could allow introduced rodents to expand its realized niche and heighten risks for rodent-borne diseases. 2km grassland forest dwelling All rats were infested with chiggers. Mean abundance of chiggers (per rat) differed significantly among the habitats (p< 0.05), with forests (280.8±279.5) lower than grasslands (518.7±286.6) (p<0.05); human dwelling (396.3±371.2) didn’t differ with the other two habitats (both p>0.05) (Fig3). However, total number of chiggers (number of captures x mean number of chiggers per rat) didn’t differ among forests (2948.9±1992.2), grasslands (3688.2±2357.2), and human dwelling (1717.5±989.5) (all p>0.05) (Fig4). Prevalence of tick infestation was 64.6%, and there was a significant difference in mean abundance of ticks among the habitats (p< 0.001), with grasslands (14.8±8.1) higher than human dwelling (0.9±0.4) (p<0.001), and forests (4.6±2.7) didn’t differ with the other two habitats (both p>0.05) (fig5). Total number of ticks in human dwelling (4.6±2.7) was lower than the other two habitats (both p< 0.001), and there was no difference between grasslands (56.1±21.8) and forests (53.5±19) (p>0.05) (Fig6). Fig1. Sample sites in Lanyu island Fig2. Number of rats in different habitats Fig3. Mean abundance of chiggers (per rat) in different habitats Fig4. Total abundance of chiggers in different habitats Fig5. Mean abundance of ticks (per rat) in different habitats Fig6. Total abundance of ticks in different habitats a ab b ab a b a a a a b ab a b b