title: Rat infestation associated with environmental deficiencies in an urban slum community with high risk of leptospirosis transmission.
abstract: We analyzed environmental factors that provide food, water and harborage to rodents and the risk of household rodent infestation in a slum community with a high risk of leptospirosis transmission. Detailed environmental surveys were performed in 221 households. Multivariate regression models evaluated the association between rodent infestation and socioeconomic status and environmental attributes obtained from Geographical Information System surveys. The general household infestation rate was 45.9%. Rattus norvegicus signs were the most prevalent, present in 74% of the infested households. The risk for rodent infestation was associated with environmental factors supporting harborage for rats, such as dilapidated fences/walls (OR: 8.95; 95%CI: 2.42-33.12) and households built on an earthen slope (OR: 4.68; 95%CI: 2.23-9.81). An increase of 1 meter from the nearest sewer was associated with a 3% (95%CI: 1%-5%) decrease in the risk of rodent infestation. A lack of sanitation where poor people live provides factors for rat infestation and could the target of educational interventions.
authors.affiliation: Escola de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.
authors.forename: Norlan de Jesus
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brasil.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brasil.
authors.forename: Mitermayer G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brasil.|School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Albert I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brasil.|Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D006801:Humans; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000635:transmission*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011156:Population Density; D011204:Poverty Areas; D051381:Rats; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health