Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- 2 Vector and rodent-borne diseases in European history
- 3 The arboviruses
- 4 The mosquito-borne arboviruses of Europe
- 5 Mosquito-borne diseases of Europe – malaria
- 6 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 7 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 8 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 9 Dipteran-caused infections – myiasis
- 10 The flea-borne diseases
- 11 The louse-borne diseases
- 12 Tick-borne diseases of Europe
- 13 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 14 Cockroaches and allergies
- 15 Vector-borne disease problems associated with introduced vectors in Europe
- 16 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in Europe
- 17 The potential effect of climate change on vector-borne diseases in Europe
- 18 The rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- 19 The economic impact and burden of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- References
- Index
18 - The rodent-borne diseases of Europe
from Part I - The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- 2 Vector and rodent-borne diseases in European history
- 3 The arboviruses
- 4 The mosquito-borne arboviruses of Europe
- 5 Mosquito-borne diseases of Europe – malaria
- 6 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 7 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 8 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 9 Dipteran-caused infections – myiasis
- 10 The flea-borne diseases
- 11 The louse-borne diseases
- 12 Tick-borne diseases of Europe
- 13 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 14 Cockroaches and allergies
- 15 Vector-borne disease problems associated with introduced vectors in Europe
- 16 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in Europe
- 17 The potential effect of climate change on vector-borne diseases in Europe
- 18 The rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- 19 The economic impact and burden of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- References
- Index
Summary
Rodents are implicated in the epidemiology of many of the vector-borne diseases in Europe; this chapter will consider only those infections that are directly transmitted from rodents to humans. This group of infections is of considerable importance to human health.
Few other animal groups live in closer contact with man than rodent populations and particularly the commensal rodents. Rodents are the largest family of mammals with some 1500 species divided into 30 families. Rodents are found native on all continents except Antarctica. Globally, rodents are of immense importance both because of their depredations on crops, the structural damage they may cause and as carriers of disease.
The hantaviruses
Hantaviruses, the causative agents for haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), are viruses in the genus Hantavirus of the family Bunyaviridae with a worldwide distribution; there are some 25 distinct viruses in the group. Hantaviruses are not known to be transmitted by an arthropod vector. The natural hosts of these viruses are rodents. Hantavirus virions are excreted from infected rodents via saliva, urine and faeces, and humans may become infected through inhalation of aerosols of dried excreta, inoculation through the conjunctiva, or entry through broken skin or rodent bites.
Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is a group of clinically similar diseases that occur throughout Eurasia. It is mainly seen in Europe and Asia; one causative agent, the Seoul virus, is found worldwide and has been associated with cases of HFRS in the USA.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Vector- and Rodent-Borne Diseases in Europe and North AmericaDistribution, Public Health Burden, and Control, pp. 163 - 176Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006