The pathology of feral rodents in North Queensland. II. Studies on zoonotic infections
Glazebrook, J.S.; Campbell, R.S.; Hutchinson, G.W.
Tropenmedizin und Parasitologie 28(4): 545-551
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0303-4208 PMID: 601858 Document Number: 116627
Rodents (355) of 15 spp. were trapped in 6 tropical habitats in northern Australia. Their pathology and the associated microbiology and helminthology of potential zoonotic importance were examined. Eleven Salmonella strains of 9 different serotypes were isolated from the cecal or rectal feces, an incidence of 3.1%. Three strains of Pseudomonas pseudomallei and 1 of P. aeruginosa were recovered. Twelve (8.8%) of 136 rodent sera examined had complement-fixing antibody at significant titers to P. pseudomallei. Ten of these sera were from animals in the endemic Townsville region. Evidence of leptospirosis was obtained from 23 (6.4%) of the rodents. Fifteen strains were actively excreted and 12 (3.5%) of the infected animals had significant levels of agglutinins. Rattus fuscipes was an important host of Leptospira celledoni in rainforest. L. australis was isolated from Hydromys chrysogaster for the 1st time in Australia. Rodent leptospirosis appeared most prevalent in areas of high rainfall, particularly rain-forest, but was rarely encountered in the towns. Rodents (185) and their ectoparasites were examined for the presence of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, R. australis, R. mooseri and Coxiella burnetii. Three strains of R. tsutsugamushi were isolated from the tissues of 3 groups of rodents and their habitats identified as potential sources of scrub typhus. Ectoparasites proved to be free of R. tsutsugamushi and a known vector mite of scrub typhus in Australia, Trombicula deliense, was not present on rodents in groups infected with the rickettsiae. R. australis, R. mooseri and C. burnetii were not detected in any of the material and the rodent sera showed no evidence of previous infection. Two rodent populations, both resident at a city harbor were infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Of 291 rodents investigated, 24% were infected with helminths of zoonotic potential, notably Hymenolepis nana and H. diminuta.