AUTHOR=Kosoy Michael , Bai Ying 

TITLE=Bartonella Bacteria in Urban Rats: A Movement From the Jungles of Southeast Asia to Metropoles Around the Globe

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2019

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00088

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2019.00088

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>Despite the widespread recognition of the risks of disease transmission associated with international trade in domestic animals and movement of exotic animals, less is known about the role of rats in carrying pathogens between continents. The genus <italic>Bartonella</italic>, a highly prevalent and extremely diverse group of bacteria, includes species that are excellent sentinel organisms for evaluating the transoceanic and intra-continental movement of the pathogens carried by rats of the genus <italic>Rattus</italic>. The patterns of spatial distribution, occurrence, and genetic diversity of <italic>Bartonella</italic> species infecting rats and their arthropod ectoparasites depend on the geographic locations within metropolitan areas of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. One of the points addressed in this review is a comparison of the diversity of <italic>Bartonella</italic> species carried by rats in their original habitats in Southeast Asia and in the cities occupied by rats recently. The invasion of <italic>Rattus</italic> rats into new urban territories create significant risk for human health.</p>