2024
Disentangling the influence of reservoir abundance and pathogen shedding on zoonotic spillover of the Leptospira agent in urban informal settlements
Soni N, Eyre M, Souza F, Diggle P, Ko A, Begon M, Pickup R, Childs J, Khalil H, Carvalho-Pereira T, Pertile A, Carvalho M, de Oliveira D, Nery N, Giorgi E, Costa F. Disentangling the influence of reservoir abundance and pathogen shedding on zoonotic spillover of the Leptospira agent in urban informal settlements. Frontiers In Public Health 2024, 12: 1447592. PMID: 39360250, PMCID: PMC11445007, DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1447592.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRat abundanceReservoir abundanceAbundance of ratsEnvironmentally transmitted diseasesVegetation land coverInfection riskSexually mature ratsHuman infection riskLive trapsUrban informal settlementsZoonotic spilloverLand coverSpatial variationHydrological factorsValley bottomTrack plateAbundanceHuman riskShedding rateMature ratsEco-epidemiological studiesLeptospira infectionSpillover transmissionSpatial distributionInformal settlements
2023
Bartonella in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the urban slum environment in Brazil
Zeppelini C, Oliveira D, Kosoy M, Reis M, Ko A, Childs J, Costa F. Bartonella in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the urban slum environment in Brazil. Anais Da Academia Brasileira De Ciências 2023, 95: e20220809. PMID: 37909607, DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202320220809.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil
Eyre MT, Souza FN, Carvalho-Pereira T, Nery N, de Oliveira D, Cruz JS, Sacramento GA, Khalil H, Wunder EA, Hacker KP, Hagan JE, Childs JE, Reis MG, Begon M, Diggle PJ, Ko AI, Giorgi E, Costa F. Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil. ELife 2022, 11: e73120. PMID: 36111781, PMCID: PMC9560157, DOI: 10.7554/elife.73120.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInfection riskSignificant global public health burdenCommunity-based cohort studyGlobal public health burdenPublic health burdenAgents of leptospirosisExposure of interestYears of agePublic health interventionsHigh-risk communitiesJoint spatial modellingZoonotic spilloverCohort studyHuman infection riskMale genderSerological evidenceHealth burdenLeptospira infectionLeptospiral infectionInfection rateHealth interventionsEco-epidemiological studiesHealth surveillanceFundação de Amparo à PesquisaOswaldo Cruz FoundationEvaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil
Pertile A, Lustosa R, Carvalho-Pereira T, Pedra G, Panti-May J, Oliveira U, Zeppelini C, Souza F, Oliveira D, Khalil H, Reis M, Childs J, Ko A, Begon M, Costa F. Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil. PLOS ONE 2022, 17: e0270568. PMID: 35857771, PMCID: PMC9299319, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270568.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRodent control programsDemographic variablesSpirochete Leptospira interrogansControl interventionsCommunity settingsR. norvegicusChi-squareControl of zoonosesLeptospira interrogansChemical interventionDemographic characteristicsInterventionIntervention campaignsRodentsSynanthropic rodentsMonthsBody massControl programsControl practicesRattus norvegicusControl campaignsUrban poor communitiesPopulationEnvironmental transmissionAnalysis of variancePopulation dynamics of synanthropic rodents after a chemical and infrastructural intervention in an urban low-income community
Awoniyi A, Venegas-Vargas C, Souza F, Zeppelini C, Hacker K, Carvalho-Pereira T, Marins C, de Santana M, Pertile A, Begon M, Ko A, Diggle P, Reis M, Childs J, da Silva E, Costa F, Khalil H. Population dynamics of synanthropic rodents after a chemical and infrastructural intervention in an urban low-income community. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 10109. PMID: 35710879, PMCID: PMC9203450, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14474-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsUrban low-income communityLow-income communitiesEffects of interventionsPre-intervention levelsSynanthropic rodentsLong-term effectsRodent infestationInterventionRodent control programsLongitudinal studyCity of SalvadorControl programsActivity/abundanceRodentsPopulationHousehold/Pose risksYearsStudy
2021
Genetic Evidence for a Potential Environmental Pathway to Spillover Infection of Rat-Borne Leptospirosis
Casanovas-Massana A, de Oliveira D, Schneider AG, Begon M, Childs JE, Costa F, Reis MG, Ko AI, Wunder EA. Genetic Evidence for a Potential Environmental Pathway to Spillover Infection of Rat-Borne Leptospirosis. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2021, 225: 130-134. PMID: 34139761, PMCID: PMC8730487, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab323.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPotential environmental pathwaysEnvironmental reservoirsSpillover infectionsEnvironmental pathwaysHuman leptospirosis casesSevere leptospirosisLeptospirosis infectionLeptospirosis casesMolecular epidemiologyGenetic evidencePathogenic LeptospiraLeptospira interrogansInfectionLeptospirosisUrban slumsSpillover pathwaysRat specimensReservoirPathwayUrban communitiesCommunityEpidemiology
2020
Effects of Accounting for Interval-Censored Antibody Titer Decay on Seroincidence in a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Leptospirosis
Bonner K, Cruz JS, Sacramento GA, de Oliveira D, Nery N, Carvalho M, Costa F, Childs JE, Ko AI, Diggle PJ. Effects of Accounting for Interval-Censored Antibody Titer Decay on Seroincidence in a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Leptospirosis. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2020, 190: 893-899. PMID: 33274738, PMCID: PMC8096484, DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaa253.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLongitudinal cohort studyCohort studyMicroscopic agglutination test titersAgglutination test titersHigh transmission settingsPoint-source exposureSeroincidence ratesEstimates of infectionRisk factorsTest titersReported casesEpidemiologic implicationsInfection rateMean infection rateSerological samplesSerological assaysLeptospirosis casesInfectionArboviral diseasesTiter dilutionsSeroincidenceSource exposureLeptospirosisSample size estimationInterval
2019
Coinfection modifies carriage of enzootic and zoonotic parasites in Norway rats from an urban slum
Carvalho‐Pereira T, Souza F, do Nascimento Santos L, Pedra G, Minter A, Bahiense T, Reis M, Ko A, Childs J, da Silva E, Costa F, Begon M. Coinfection modifies carriage of enzootic and zoonotic parasites in Norway rats from an urban slum. Ecosphere 2019, 10 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2887.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchUrban slumsLoad of parasitesZoonotic parasitesUrban ratsStrongyloides spBrazilian urban slumsIntensity of infectionReduced prevalenceNippostrongylus brasiliensisCoinfectionSignificant associationInfection riskRatsNematode Angiostrongylus cantonensisAngiostrongylus cantonensisInfectionNorway ratsEggs/larvaeCantonensisZoonotic pathogensCorrelation testInterrogansParasitesPopulationSignificant Genetic Impacts Accompany an Urban Rat Control Campaign in Salvador, Brazil
Richardson J, Silveira G, Medrano I, Arietta A, Mariani C, Pertile A, Pereira T, Childs J, Ko A, Costa F, Caccone A. Significant Genetic Impacts Accompany an Urban Rat Control Campaign in Salvador, Brazil. Frontiers In Ecology And Evolution 2019, 7: 115. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00115.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2015
Morphometric and demographic differences between tropical and temperate Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)
Porter F, Costa F, Rodrigues G, Farias H, Cunha M, Glass G, Reis M, Ko A, Childs J. Morphometric and demographic differences between tropical and temperate Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Journal Of Mammalogy 2015, 96: 317-323. DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv033.Peer-Reviewed Original Research