Rodents are one of the major taxa most likely to carry zoonotic diseases, harboring more than 85 unique zoonotic pathogens. The paper referenced here focuses on the unique opportunity zoo personnel have to be at the forefront of the early detection and identification of novel hosts and geographic ranges of rodent-borne pathogens with high impact on endangered species and people.
Source: Preventive Veterinary Medicine, April 16, 2021. Link. The convergence of collection, wild, and feeder rodents with other collection animals, staff, and visitors at zoos makes rodent-borne diseases an important priority for targeting surveillance, management, treatment, vaccination, and biosecurity.
INSIGHTS: We included this article to add to other resources in the AHD library. It reinforces the reasons for rodent management and elimination.
Also see: Search results for: rats, Animal Health Digest. Link.