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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.

Sec. One Health

An analysis of rodent density patterns and its spatial-temporal correlations using Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression in southeastern China

Provisionally accepted
Mingyu LuoMingyu Luo1Jin-Na WangJin-Na Wang1Mingyong TaoMingyong Tao2Hanran JiHanran Ji3Guoqin JiangGuoqin Jiang4Qinmei LiuQinmei Liu1Tianqi LiTianqi Li1Zhou GuanZhou Guan1Juan HouJuan Hou1*Zhenyu GongZhenyu Gong1
  • 1Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
  • 2Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
  • 3Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
  • 4Shaoxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shaoxing, China

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Introduction Rodents are significant vectors, harboring diverse pathogenic microorganisms which can spread a variety of infectious diseases. Surveillance on rodent density patterns should be prioritized as early warning indicators for prevention and control of infectious diseases. We aimed to analyze spatial and temporal heterogeneity of rodent density patterns in Zhejiang Province, and analyze the spatial and temporal correlations between rodent density, meteorological, land use and vegetation factors. Methods Collect rodent surveillance data, meteorological factors, and vegetation factors in Zhejiang Province from 2019 to 2023. Analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of rodent density patterns. Employ the GTWR model to analyze the spatial and temporal correlations between rodent density, meteorological, land use and vegetation factors. Results The rodent density in southern Zhejiang Province was higher than that in northern Zhejiang Province, and the species richness of wild rodents also exceeded that in northern Zhejiang Province. The effects of meteorological and vegetation factors on rodent density varied across geographical spatial distributions, which might primarily be related to the distribution range of rodent species in different habitat sites. Discussions Meteorological and vegetation factors could influence the rodent density, particularly that of wild rodents, by offering a suitable environment for growth and development as well as food sources.

Keywords: One Health, Public Health, Rodent density, GTWR, Meteorological, vegetation

Received: 22 Aug 2025; Accepted: 09 Dec 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Luo, Wang, Tao, Ji, Jiang, Liu, Li, Guan, Hou and Gong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Juan Hou

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material