Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Rickettsia spp. from Wild Small Mammals in Public Parks and Urban Areas of Bangkok Metropolitan, Thailand

International audienceRural areas usually show a higher prevalence of rickettsial infection than urban areas. However, information on the rickettsial infection status in urban settings (e.g., built-up areas and city parks) is still limited, particularly in the Bangkok metropolitan area. In this study, we performed a molecular rickettsial survey of spleen samples of small mammals caught in public parks and built-up areas of Bangkok. Out of 198 samples, the Rattus rattus complex was found to be most prevalent. The amplification of rickettsial gltA fragment gene (338 bp) by nested PCR assay revealed positive results in four samples, yielding a low prevalence of infection of 2.02%. DNA sequencing results confirmed that three samples were matched with Rickettsia typhi, and one was identified as R. felis. It is noteworthy that this is the first report of the occurrence of R. felis DNA in rodents in Southeast Asia

A Social-Ecological and One Health Observatory: Ten Years of Collaborative Studies in Saen Thong (Nan, Thailand)

One Health and biodiversity collaborative project have been implemented among researchers from several institutions of France and Thailand and local communities, local authorities and administrations in the Saen Thong sub-district (Nan Province, Thailand). Saen Thong’s experience recognizes the role of the primary care unit (PCU) as a boundary spinner between scientists, communities and other administrations, in particular the animal health sector. Ethical procedures were important to promote the integration of research activities into the human and animal health concerns of people. Each project should be co-designed starting from the vision and the implementation to the realization with ethics at the core of the community engagement. The commitment to the environment and biodiversity conservation sector was another lesson learned. Saen Thong as a social-ecological One Health and biodiversity observatory can be a platform for ecosystem-based solutions at the interface between human health, animal health and ecosystem health

Helminth fauna of small mammals from public parks and urban areas in Bangkok Metropolitan with emphasis on community ecology of infection in synanthropic rodents

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A protocol and a data-based prediction to investigate virus spillover at the wildlife interface in human-dominated and protected habitats in Thailand: The Spillover Interface project

International audienceThe Spillover Interface Project aims at assessing the encounter of wildlife, domestic animals, and humans along a landscape gradient from a protected area to a residential community, through areas of reforestation and agricultural land. Here, we present the protocols of the project that combine virus screening in humans, bats, rodents and dogs with camera trapping, land-use characterization, and network analyses. The project is taking place in the sub-district of Saen Thong (Nan Province, Thailand) in collaboration with local communities, the District Public Health Office, and Nanthaburi National Park. To formulate a predictive hypothesis for the Spillover Interface Project, we assess the wildlife diversity and their viral diversity that could be observed in Saen Thong through a data science analysis approach. Potential mammalian species are estimated using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and their associated viral diversity from a published open database. A network analysis approach is used to represent and quantify the transmission of the potential viruses hosted by the mammals present in Saen Thong, according to the IUCN. A total of 57 viruses are expected to be found and shared between 43 host species, including the domestic dog and the human species. By following the protocols presented here, the Spillover Interface Project will collect the data and samples needed to test this data-driven prediction