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Published (Version of Record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Critters and Contamination: Zoonotic Protozoans in Urban Rodents and Water Quality
Water research (Oxford), Vol.251, 121165
2024
PMID: 38290188
Abstract
Rodents represent the single largest group within mammals and host a diverse array of zoonotic pathogens. Urbanisation impacts wild mammals, including rodents, leading to habitat loss but also providing new resources. Urban-adapted (synanthropic) rodents, such as the brown rat (R. norvegicus), black rat (R. rattus), and house mouse (Mus musculus), have long successfully adapted to living close to humans and are known carriers of zoonotic pathogens. Two important enteric, zoonotic protozoan parasites, carried by rodents, include Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Their environmental stages (oocysts/cysts), released in faeces, can contaminate surface and wastewaters, are resistant to common drinking water disinfectants and can cause water-borne related gastritis outbreaks. At least 48 species of Cryptosporidium have been described, with C. hominis and C. parvum responsible for the majority of human infections, while Giardia duodenalis assemblages A and B are the main human-infectious assemblages. Molecular characterisation is crucial to assess the public health risk linked to rodent-related water contamination due to morphological overlap between species. This review explores the global molecular diversity of these parasites in rodents, with a focus on evaluating the zoonotic risk from contamination of water and wasterwater with Cryptosporidium and Giardia oocysts/cysts from synanthropic rodents. Analysis indicates that while zoonotic Cryptosporidium and Giardia are prevalent in farmed and pet rodents, host-specific Cryptosporidium and Giardia species dominate in urban adapted rodents, and therefore the risks posed by these rodents in the transmission of zoonotic Cryptosporidium and Giardia are relatively low. Many knowledge gaps remain however, and therefore understanding the intricate dynamics of these parasites in rodent populations is essential for managing their impact on human health and water quality. This knowledge can inform strategies to reduce disease transmission and ensure safe drinking water in urban and peri‑urban areas.
Details
- Title
- Critters and Contamination: Zoonotic Protozoans in Urban Rodents and Water Quality
- Authors/Creators
- Siobhon Egan - Murdoch UniversityAmanda Barbosa - Coordenação de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorYaoyu Feng - South China Agricultural UniversityLihua Xiao - South China Agricultural UniversityUna Ryan - Murdoch University
- Publication Details
- Water research (Oxford), Vol.251, 121165
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd.
- Identifiers
- 991005630922107891
- Copyright
- © 2024 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine; School of Veterinary Medicine; School of Agricultural Sciences; Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 1 Clinical & Life Sciences
- 1.246 Diarrheal Diseases
- 1.246.985 Cryptosporidium
- Web Of Science research areas
- Engineering, Environmental
- Environmental Sciences
- Water Resources
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology