Rodent abundance, diversity and community structure in a bubonic plague endemic area, northern Tanzania

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dc.contributor.authorKessy, Stella T.
dc.contributor.authorMakundi, Rhodes H.
dc.contributor.authorSabuni, Christopher
dc.contributor.authorMassawe, Apia W.
dc.contributor.authorRija, Alfan A.
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-12T05:32:00Z
dc.date.available2026-08-12T05:32:00Z
dc.date.issued2023-08-07
dc.descriptionMammalia
dc.description.abstractRodent-borne diseases such as bubonic plague remain a significant threat to public health in tropical countries. In plague-endemic areas, little information exists on the factors triggering periodic bursts, thus rendering preparedness strategies for preventing the negative impacts of the deadly zoonosis difficult. In this study, we assessed how species richness, diversity, and community structure of rodents are associated with plague persistence in Mbulu District, Tanzania. Rodent data were collected using the removal trapping technique. We captured 610 rodents belonging to 12 species, with Mastomys natalensis recording highest abundance. There was significantly higher abun- dance and species richness in persistent than non-persistent plague locality. Also, house premises recorded significantly lower species richness than farm and forest habitats. Addi- tionally, we found three broad rodent community structures that varied significantly between studied habitat types sug- gesting high rodent populations interaction at fine-scale resource abundance. The high abundance and diversity of plague-susceptible rodent reservoirs suggestively contribute to the plague persistence in the foci. These results may be useful to developing preparedness strategies in these areas to control plague outbreaks.
dc.description.sponsorshipAfrican Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD) ACE II–Credit number 5799–TZ at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
dc.identifier.citationhttps://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0012
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/20.500.14820/7885
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherDe Gruyter
dc.relation.ispartofseriesMammalia 2023; aop
dc.subjectbubonic plague
dc.subjectMbulu District
dc.subjectplague persis- tence
dc.subjectrodent abundance and diversity
dc.subjectTanzania
dc.titleRodent abundance, diversity and community structure in a bubonic plague endemic area, northern Tanzania
dc.typeArticle

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