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Parasites of wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) on UK farms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

J. P. Webster  and
D. W. Macdonald
J. P. Webster
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS
D. W. Macdonald
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS
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Summary

Wild brown rats (Rattus norvegiens) from 11 rural UK farmsteads were found to carry 13 zoonotic and 10 non-zoonotic parasitic species, many of which (e.g. Cryptosporidium, Pasteurella, Listeria, Yersinia, Coxiella and Hantavirus) have rarely or never been previously investigated for wild rats. The study suggests that wild brown rats, serving as vectors of disease, represent a serious risk to the health of humans and domestic animals in the UK.

Keywords

Zoonoseswild brown ratsUK farms
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 111 , Issue 3 , September 1995 , pp. 247 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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