Study of Carriers and Infection Rate of Zoonotic Diseases Caused by Rats at Donmueang International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand - การศึกษาพาหะนำโรคและอัตราการติดเชื้อ โรคสัตว์สู่คนที่มีหนูเป็นรังโรค บริเวณพื้นทีท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติดอนเมือง

Abstract

          The objective of this research was to study the carrier and the infection rate of zoonotic diseases caused by rats at Donmueang International Airport. The operation included trapping of rats around the Ariport areas, anesthetizing rats, collecting samples such as blood, kidney, spleen, heart, lungs, and fluids as well as combing for rat fleas. Data analysis was conducted by using descriptive statistics. It was found that 10 rats were trapped. The success rate of trapping was 6.5%. The types of rats were Rattas rattas (60.0%), R. exulans (30.0%) and R. norvegicus (10.0%). Infestation rate of ectoparasite was 70%. These included 9 rats flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), a chigger mite family, Ascoschoengastia, and a tropical
rat mite family, Laelaps. The Flea index was 0.9. Five adult Angiostrongylus cantoensis, 3 females and 2 males, were detacted from 2 lung specimens. Indirect immunofluorescent assay of 10 blood specimens was 80.0% positive for Rickettsia (40.0% for scrub typhus and 40.0% for murine typhus), whereas infections of Yersinia pestis and Leptospira spp. were not detected. The authors recommended that rat surveillance should be performed at Donmueang International Airport at least once a year. It should be conducted during the same period so as to compare the results or trends of increasing or decreasing of carrier and to predict the occurrence of rat-borne diseases.

Key words: rat, infection rate, plague, scrub typhus, murine typhus, leptospirosis, Donmueang International Airport