One Health Approach In Leishmaniasis: Reservoir Role Of Rattus Norvegicus In Cities

According to the One Health concept, human and animal health are interdependent and connected with the environment in which they coexist. In this context, leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease that affects humans as well as various wild and domestic mammals. The persistence of the disease in cities, in spite of the control measures implemented in dogs and vectors (phlebotomine sand flies), suggests the existence of a new reservoir. Therein, the presence of Leishmania infantum was investigated and quantified by qPCR in the spleens of 98 sewer rats, Rattus norvegicus (84 captured in the sewage system and 14 in parks), in the city of Barcelona, Spain. Only 1 rat (7.1%) captured in the parks tested positive for L. infantum. However, rats
captured in the sewage system showed a 33.3% prevalence (28/84) of L. infantum infection and harbored up to 2,272 estimated parasites. According to the obtained results, the absence of surveillance or preventive measures of rat leishmaniasis in urban areas could contribute to the emergence of human and dog infections in cities