Increasing rat numbers in cities are linked to climate warming, urbanization, and human population
Jonathan Richardson,
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Elizabeth McCoy,
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Nicholas Parlavecchio
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et al.
Science Advances,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
11(5)
Published: Jan. 31, 2025
Urban
rats
are
commensal
pests
that
thrive
in
cities
by
exploiting
the
resources
accompanying
large
human
populations.
Identifying
long-term
trends
rat
numbers
and
how
they
shaped
environmental
changes
is
critical
for
understanding
their
ecology,
projecting
future
vulnerabilities
mitigation
needs.
Here,
we
use
public
complaint
inspection
data
from
16
around
world
to
estimate
Eleven
of
(69%)
had
significant
increasing
numbers,
including
Washington
D.C.,
New
York,
Amsterdam.
Just
three
experienced
declines.
Cities
experiencing
greater
temperature
increases
over
time
saw
larger
rats.
with
more
dense
populations
urbanization
also
Warming
temperatures
people
living
may
be
expanding
seasonal
activity
periods
food
availability
urban
will
have
integrate
biological
impacts
these
variables
into
management
strategies.
Language: Английский
Chemical-Based Rodent Control Programs as a Zoonosis Control Measure: Proposal of Guidelines for Empirical Proof Studies
Zoonotic Diseases,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
5(2), P. 10 - 10
Published: April 24, 2025
Rodent-borne
diseases
threaten
global
public
health,
impacting
the
urban
poor.
Despite
widespread
application
of
rodenticide
in
rodent/rodent-borne
disease
control
programs,
empirical
evidence
demonstrating
their
effectiveness
is
lacking.
This
review
proposed
guidelines
for
designing
and
implementing
studies
on
rodenticides
as
health
measures.
The
recommendations
include:
(i)
importance
type
quasi-experimental
design
adopted,
how
it
creates
robust
evidence;
(ii)
slums
present
both
challenges
ideal
settings
studies;
(iii)
partnering
with
pest
authorities
community
engagement
long-term
viability;
(iv)
leveraging
zoonotic
systems
direct/environmental
transmission,
reliable
diagnosis,
high
prevalence
effectivity
assessment;
(v)
pairing
human
cohort
to
observe
epidemiological
links;
(vi)
systematic
data
collection
management
protocols;
(vii)
short-
goals
critical
evaluation
course-correction;
(viii)
focus
mechanistic
approach;
(ix)
need
standardized
reporting
findings.
Language: Английский