Rasoamalala Fanohinjanaharinirina, Fell Henry G, Maminirina Lanto A, Bodoarison Zaina, Randriamiharisoa Lalatiana O, Randriamanantsoa Mamy G, Ramambason Haingotiana R, Andrianaivoarimanana Voahangy, Harimalala Mireille, Rajerison Minoarisoa, Ramasindrazana Beza, Atkinson Steve
Plague Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo 101, PO. Box 1274, Ambatofotsikely, Madagascar.
University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, PO. Box 566, Ankatso, Madagascar.
BMC Infect Dis. 2025 Apr 14;25(1):521. doi: 10.1186/s12879-025-10929-z.
Plague, a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis remains a major public health concern in Madagascar despite numerous multidisciplinary studies. The persistence of human plague infections is thought to be linked to fluctuations in mammalian host and flea populations, which are affected by climatic and environmental variations. This study explored local macro- and microclimatic variations along with mammal and flea population dynamics across different microhabitat types within plague endemic rural and forested habitats of Madagascar. Understanding these variables and their interdependent relationships may help us better understand the complexities of Y. pestis transmission in the Madagascan Highlands.
Small mammals and their fleas were captured in different microhabitats within plague focus in the Ankazobe District of Madagascar. Simultaneously, climatic data including temperature and humidity, were collected to assess the potential relationship between flea population dynamics and climatic variations. Specialized equipment was used to monitor microclimate conditions across various microhabitat types and compare them with macroclimate. Monitoring was performed inside and outside rodent burrows located inside and outside houses and in adjacent forested areas.
A greater abundance of fleas was observed inside dwellings compared to other microhabitats, such as outside houses and forest, whereas small mammal species diversity was significantly higher in forest environments. We also revealed significant differences in microclimates across microhabitat types, with lower temperatures and higher humidity inside rodent burrows compared to outside burrows, outside houses and the forest. Inside houses, temperature variations were more stable although temperatures were higher and humidity lower inside rodent burrows compared to other microhabitats.
This study highlights microclimate variation across different microhabitat types, which also differ from the macroclimate, and maps small mammal and flea abundance to these locations. These data suggest that it is important to further explore the relationship between microclimatic variations in the different microhabitats and the dynamics of flea and rodent populations as potential markers for plague persistence and transmission in these endemic foci.
尽管进行了大量多学科研究，但由鼠疫耶尔森菌引起的鼠疫仍是马达加斯加主要的公共卫生问题。人类鼠疫感染的持续存在被认为与哺乳动物宿主和跳蚤种群的波动有关，而这些种群受气候和环境变化的影响。本研究探讨了马达加斯加鼠疫流行的农村和森林栖息地内不同微生境类型的局部宏观和微观气候变异，以及哺乳动物和跳蚤种群动态。了解这些变量及其相互依存关系可能有助于我们更好地理解鼠疫耶尔森菌在马达加斯加高地传播的复杂性。
在马达加斯加安卡佐贝区鼠疫疫源地的不同微生境中捕获小型哺乳动物及其跳蚤。同时，收集包括温度和湿度在内的气候数据，以评估跳蚤种群动态与气候变化之间的潜在关系。使用专门设备监测各种微生境类型的小气候条件，并将其与宏观气候进行比较。监测在房屋内外以及相邻森林地区的啮齿动物洞穴内外进行。
与其他微生境（如房屋外和森林）相比，在住宅内观察到的跳蚤数量更多，而森林环境中的小型哺乳动物物种多样性显著更高。我们还揭示了不同微生境类型之间小气候的显著差异，与洞穴外、房屋外和森林相比，啮齿动物洞穴内温度较低、湿度较高。在房屋内，温度变化更稳定，尽管与其他微生境相比，啮齿动物洞穴内温度较高、湿度较低。
本研究突出了不同微生境类型之间的小气候变异，这些变异也与宏观气候不同，并将小型哺乳动物和跳蚤的丰度映射到这些位置。这些数据表明，进一步探索不同微生境中的小气候变异与跳蚤和啮齿动物种群动态之间的关系作为这些疫源地鼠疫持续存在和传播的潜在指标非常重要。
