Prevalence of Listeria (spp.) in wild rats captured in the Kanto area of Japan.
In the Kanto area a total of 245 wild rats were captured. All rats captured in Ikebukuro (110 rats) and 9 out of 41 rats in Yokohama were Rattus rattus, and all other 126 rats were Rattus norvegicus. In Kashima and Ikebukuro, listeria was isolated from 28 rats (77.8%) and 27 rats (24.5%), respectively, but in the other 4 areas listeria was isolated from 0-7% rats. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from 12 rats (10.9%) captured in Ikebukuro and 2 rats in Kashima and Numazu. The frequent isolation of L. monocytogenes in buildings suggests the possibility of R. rattus as a reservoir of L. monocytogenes and the continual environmental contamination in buildings by L. monocytogenes.
Inoue
S
S
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Health, Japan.
Tanikawa
T
T
Kawaguchi
J
J
Iida
T
T
Morita
C
C
D000818:Animals; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008087:Listeria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009115:Muridae; D051381:Rats; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012703:Serotyping