Easterbrook Judith D, Shields Timothy, Klein Sabra L, Glass Gregory E
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2179, USA.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2005 Fall;5(3):296-9. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2005.5.296.
Norway rats are reservoirs for several zoonotic agents, including hantaviruses, and are implicated in the transmission of pathogens to humans in urban environments. The rat population of Baltimore, Maryland was estimated from surveys in 1949 and again in 1952, but has not been evaluated for more than 50 years. Previously identified sociodemographic risk factors for rat infestation, including median income, human density, and percentage of rental properties, were used to categorize census block groups in Baltimore. Rat infestation risk factors, including median income and human density, have improved over the last 50 years in Baltimore. Rat infestation was determined both by observation and trapping of rats in alleys that were representative of the different strata of risk factors. Despite improvements in risk factors, the outdoor, residential rat population of Baltimore in 2004 was estimated to be approximately 48,420 +/- 14,883 rats, which is comparable to the 1949 and 1952 estimates. Approximately half of the rats trapped in Baltimore City had detectable antibody against Seoul virus. The failure to substantially impact rat population levels in the past 50 years indicate that alternative control strategies for rat infestation are needed to reduce the risk of rat-borne pathogen spillover to the human population.
褐家鼠是包括汉坦病毒在内的几种人畜共患病原体的宿主，并且在城市环境中被认为是病原体向人类传播的媒介。马里兰州巴尔的摩市的褐家鼠数量曾在1949年和1952年通过调查进行过估计，但距今已有50多年未被评估。此前确定的褐家鼠滋生的社会人口统计学风险因素，包括收入中位数、人口密度和出租房屋百分比，被用于对巴尔的摩的普查街区组进行分类。在过去50年里，巴尔的摩的褐家鼠滋生风险因素，包括收入中位数和人口密度，已有改善。褐家鼠滋生情况是通过在代表不同风险因素层次的小巷中观察和诱捕褐家鼠来确定的。尽管风险因素有所改善，但2004年巴尔的摩户外居民区的褐家鼠数量估计约为48420±14883只，这与1949年和1952年的估计数相当。在巴尔的摩市诱捕的褐家鼠中，约有一半检测出对汉城病毒有抗体。在过去50年里未能对褐家鼠数量水平产生实质性影响，这表明需要采取其他控制褐家鼠滋生的策略，以降低鼠传病原体溢出到人类群体的风险。
