The necessity of monitoring rodent helminth communites in light of the One Health approach

Abstract

Background. Because of globalizaton and urbanizaton, humans more frequently come into contact and cohabitate with wild animals, which leads to the possibility of pathogen transfer. Rodents commonly live near humans and domestc animals, and are well known natural reservoirs of zoonoses, including those caused by helminths. Climate changes can lead to zoonoses in previously non-endemic areas or in previously uninfected host species. Material and Methods. Host samples were collected in areas such as picnic grounds, weekend settlements, and arable land. These are the places where humans and domestc animals can encounter infected animals or a contaminated environment, leading to pathogen transmission. Results. During the study period, 11 host species from the families Muridae and Cricetdae were registered. Helminths were present in each host species, and fve of them were infected with parasites of medical and veterinary importance. The total species diversity of helminths in Serbian rodents consists of 36 identified species. Seven of them have confrmed zoonotc potental: Mesocestoides lineatus, Hymenolepis diminuta, H. nana (fraterna), Taenia marts, Hydatgena taeniaeformis, Calodium hepatcum and Moniliformis moniliformis. The dominant helminths regarding the number of infected host species and occurrence sites were H. diminuta, H. nana (fraterna) and M. lineatus. Conclusion. Human travel and commerce over large distances facilitates the spread of parasites and their hosts into areas where they were previously absent. Additonally, the encroaching of human settlements into natural habitats, coupled with climate change, leads to parasites invading new hosts, including humans. All the above necessitates regular monitoring of rodent populatons, the parasites they carry, and their environment. Results of these analyses must be made available to physicians and veterinarians as evidence of parasite presence in a given area, which can allow experts to antcipate the occurrence of parasitc diseases in humans, livestock and/or pets.