Comparative analysis of the intestinal microbiome in from different geographies.

Rat species , also known as the brown street rat, is the most abundant mammal after humans in urban areas, where they co-exist with humans and domestic animals. The reservoir role of of zoonotic pathogens in cities among rodent-borne diseases that could endanger the lives of humans and other mammals. Therefore, understanding the normal microbiome of is crucial for understanding and preventing zoonotic pathogen transmission to humans and animals. We investigated the intestinal microbiome of free-living collected from the Ruili, Nujiang, and Lianhe regions of Yunnan, China, using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Proteobacteria, followed by Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were abundant in the intestines of ; however, bacterial compositions varied significantly between samples from different locations. Following a similar trend, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Clostridia were among the top bacterial classes in most intestinal samples. The situation differed slightly for the Lianhe and Nujiang samples, although Phyla Bacteroidota and Spirochaetota were most prevalent. The Alpha diversity, Chao1, and Simpson indexes revealed microbial richness among the samples. A slight variation was observed among the samples collected from Ruili, Nujiang, and Lianhe. At species levels, several opportunistic and zoonotic bacterial pathogens, including , , , , , , etc., were revealed in the intestines, implying the need for a regular survey to monitor and control rodent populations. In conclusion, we explored diverse microbial communities in intestines captured from different regions. Further, we identified several opportunistic and potential bacterial pathogens, which still need to be tested for their underlying pathogenesis. The findings of our current study should be considered a warning to the health authorities to implement rat control and surveillance strategies globally.