Abstract
Background: The present study aims to determine the presence of Yersinia spp., Yersinia pestis, Yersinia enterocolitica pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Francisella tularensis and Borrelia spp. in brown rats of Tehran, Iran. Methods: PCR was used to detect various bacteria in 100 brown rats, Also, ELISA was used to detect antibodies against the F. tularensis and Borrelia spp. Results: A total of 16% and 13% of fecal samples were positive for Yersinia spp. and Y. enterocolitica pathogen. ELISA results were negative for F. tularensis and Borrelia. No specific antibodies (IgG) were against these bacteria. Conclusion: According to the results of our analysis, rats are significant transmitters and carriers of a variety of illnesses that can spread to both people and other animals.
Author contributions
T Azimi, S Nasrollahian, L Azimi, S Sabour and N Hadi: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis and writing (original draft). T Azimi, L Azimi, F Fallah and MR Pourmand: conceptualization, methodology, project administration and writing (original draft). T Azimi, L Azimi, S Sabour, S Nasrollahian and N Hadi: data curation, formal analysis, writing (original draft, and review and editing). T Azimi, MR Pourmand and L Azimi: language editing.
Financial disclosure
The research reported in this publication was supported by Elite Researcher Grant Committee under award no. 962763 from the National Institutes for Medical Research Development, Tehran, Iran and grant no. 43002991 from Pediatric Infections Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
Competing interests disclosure
The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Writing disclosure
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
Ethical conduct of research
The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Public Health and Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, with reference no. IR.TUMS.SPH.REC.1398.035.