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Research article2013Peer reviewedOpen access

Occurrence of pathogens in wild rodents caught on Swedish pig and chicken farms

Backhans, Annette; Jacobson, Magdalena; Hansson, Ingrid; Lebbad, M.; Thisted Lambertz, Susanne; Akande, Olumide; Fellström, Claes

Abstract

A total of 207 wild rodents were caught on nine pig farms, five chicken farms and five non-farm locations in Sweden and surveyed for a selection of bacteria, parasites and viruses. Lawsonia intracellularia and pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica were only detected in rodents on pig farms (9% and 8% prevalence, respectively) which indicate that these agents are more likely to be transmitted to rodents from pigs or the environment on infected farms. Brachyspira hyodysenteriae (1%), Brachyspira intermedia (2%), Campylobacter jejuni (4%), Campylobacter upsaliensis (2%), leptospires (7%) and encephalomyocarditis virus (9%) were also detected from rodents not in contact with farm animals. Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. were common, although no zoonotic types were verified, and Salmonella enterica was isolated from 1/11 mice on one farm but not detected by PCR from any of the rodents. Trichinella spp. and Toxoplasma gondii were not detected.

Keywords

Animal pathogens; spread of disease; vectors; veterinary pathogens; zoonoses

Published in

Epidemiology and Infection
2013, Volume: 141, number: 9, pages: 1885-1891 Publisher: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS