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. 2024 Mar 7:18:100708.
doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100708. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Rodent-borne parasites in Qatar: A possible risk at the human-animal-ecosystem interface

Md Mazharul Islam  1   2 , Elmoubashar Farag  3 , Mohammad Mahmudul Hassan  4   5 , Khalid A Enan  6 , Ali Mohammadi  7   8 , Amneh Khaleel Aldiqs  1 , Hashim Alhussain  9 , Ebtesam Al Musalmani  1 , Abdul Azia Al-Zeyara  1 , Hamad Al-Romaihi  3 , Hadi M Yassine  9 , Ali A Sultan  10 , Devendra Bansal  3 , Zilungile Mkhize-Kwitshana  11   12
Affiliations

Rodent-borne parasites in Qatar: A possible risk at the human-animal-ecosystem interface

Md Mazharul Islam et al. One Health. .

Abstract

Rodents are known reservoirs for a diverse group of zoonotic pathogens that can pose a threat to human health. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate these pathogens to institute prevention and control measures. To achieve this, the current study was conducted to investigate the frequency of different parasites in commensal rodents in Qatar. A total of 148 rodents, including Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus, and Mus musculus were captured using traps placed in different habitats such as agricultural and livestock farms, residential areas, and other localities. Blood, feces, ectoparasite, and visceral organs were collected for gross, microscopic, immunological, and molecular analysis. The study identified 10 different parasites, including Capillaria annulosa, Eimeria spp., Giardia spp., Hymenolepis diminuta, Mastophorus muris, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Taenia taeniaeformis, Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma lewisi, and Xenopsylla astia. Overall, 62.2% of the rodents tested positive for at least one parasite species. Helminths were found to be the most prevalent parasites (46.0%), followed by ectoparasites (31.8%), and protozoa (10.1%). However, individually, X. astia was the most prevalent (31.8%), whereas C. annulosa was the least common (0.7%). The prevalence of X. astia and H. diminuta significantly differed between habitats (p < 0.05). The sequence analysis of Hymenolepis spp. was closely related to the previously reported H. diminuta in Iran, China, and Mexico. In conclusion, the study identified a diverse range of rodent-borne parasites that are important to public health, with most of them being recorded for the first time among commensal rodents in Qatar.

Keywords: Commensal rodents; Ectoparasite; Helminth; One Health; Qatar; protozoa.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Location of the trapped rodents in different municipalities of Qatar.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Helminths detected from commensal rodents in Qatar. Cysticercus fasciolaris (A' is the larva from a cyst) in a liver (A), Eggs of Hymenolepis diminuta (B), Capillaria annulosa (C), and Mastophorus muris (D′ is a M. muris found in rodent stomach) (D) in rodent feces.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The Neighbour-Joining phylogenetic tree of the Hymenolepis diminuta ITS1 and 5.8 s ribosomal RNA partial gene sequences generated in the present study from rodents in Qatar (n = 2) and related sequences downloaded from NCBI-GenBank reported during 2003–2022 worldwide.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Eimeria spp. oocyst (A) and Giardia spp. oocyst (B) in feces and Trypanosoma lewisi worm (C) in blood (indicated by arrows) of rodents in Qatar. A' and B′ are the large size figure of the respective parasite oocysts.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Possible key activities to combat risk associated with rodent-borne parasites for effective One Health intervention.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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