Prevalence of Leptospira spp. in rats from Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea

• Main Authors: Robby, Sinafa, Maure, Tobias, Makaen, Johnson, Kimopa, Jobb, Horwood, Paul F., Abdad, Mohammad Yazid
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research 2017
• Subjects: Rattus rattus
• Online Access: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/65346/1/Robby%20et%20al%20%282017%29.pdf

Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease) is highly prevalent in the tropics, where conditions for its transmission are favourable. Rodents are the main reservoir in developing nations. Recent studies into leptospirosis in Papua New Guinea have focused on cattle and little to no work has been done to determine the prevalence in humans and rodents. A total of 188 rats were trapped from six different sites in the Eastern Highlands Province during 2014-2015. DNA samples extracted from rat kidneys were screened for Leptospira spp. by real-time polymerase chain reaction, with 44/188 (23%) positive. Leptospira prevalence by rat species was 8/39 (21%) for Rattus rattus and 36/149 (24%) for Rattus exulans. This is the first report of the prevalence of Leptospira spp. in Papua New Guinean rats.