Investigating the occurrence of leptospira infection in the rodents captured in communities surrounding volcanoes national park, Rwanda

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance and Rodents/rats are known to be the most important reservoirs for leptospirosis. There is no data available on the epidemiology of leptospira infection in rodents present in the communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of Leptospira infection in rodents/rats that inhabit communities surrounding the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda. One hundred eighty-four (184) rats were trapped using Tomahawk live traps, identified, and euthanized to obtain kidney tissues for examination. DNA was extracted from 184 kidney tissues and analyzed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay using primers targeting 16S rRNA and pathogenic lipL32 genes. PCR products were visualized on a 1.5% agarose gel to identify the visible bands for identification of targeted Leptospira amplicons against positive control (Canicola). A total of 179 captured rats (97%) were identified to belong to common rat house Rattusrattus and 3% (5) as Proamys degraffi. One hundred and six (59%) were females and 75 (41%) were males. Majority of rats were adults 156 (84.7%). Kinigi sector had more rats (130/184) compared to the 2 other sectors. All PCR products obtained from 184 kidney rat samples were negative for Leptospira infection on PCR Assay with no visible band subjected to 1.5% agarose gel. In this study, there was no evidence of Leptospira infection in the kidney tissues examined from rats. The results of this study being negative for Leptospira infection may not rule out the presence of Leptospira infection in other animal host species including other rodent species. Further research studies using multiple methods and targeting a wide range of potential animal host species are recommended to investigate the likely occurrence of Leptospira infection around the park to guide leptospirosis prevention and control measures