Prevalence of rabies virus and Hantaan virus infections in commensal rodents and shrews trapped in Bangkok.

Five hundred rodents and shrews (Rattus norvegicus: 458, Rattus rattus: 28, Rattus exulans: 5, Mus musculus: 4 and Suncus murine: 5) trapped from the fresh food markets around Bangkok area were investigated for rabies virus and Hantaan virus infections. No rabies viral antigens in the animals' brains were detected by direct immunofluorescence. On the other hand, antibodies to Hantaan virus were demonstrated in the sera of 7 (1.

Surveillance of commensal rat and shrew populations in the Bangkok area with references to flea index as the risk indicator of plague.

Commensal rats and shrews were trapped from 47 fresh food markets in Bangkok during the two study periods in the same markets: 21st June to 28th December 1999 and 1st March to 31st May 2000. Trapping was performed using wire live traps on three consecutive nights in each period. The trapped animals were identified for taxonomic species and flea infestation.

Seroprevalence of rickettsial infection in commensal rodents and shrews trapped in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.

Murine typhus and scrub typhus are important human rickettsial diseases in Thailand. Small mammals, including many species of rodents and shrews, serve as the reservoir host of rickettsial diseases. Rickettsia typhi can be transmitted to humans by fleas causing murine typhus, while infection with Orientia tsutsugamushi causing scrub typhus in humans is transmitted by chiggers.

Prevalence of antibodies to Leptospira serovars in rodents and shrews trapped in low and high endemic areas in Thailand.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of antibodies to Leptospira serovars in rodents and shrews trapped in urban and rural areas in low and high endemic areas in Thailand.

Material And Method: A total of 1,664 serum samples were collected from rodents and shrews in areas of low and high endemicity for leptospirosis. Four areas classified by case rates (CR) per 100,000 population of leptospirosis were urban Area I Bangkok (CR = 0.