Resumo:
Urban rodents pose a challenge to public health, especially as reservoirs for pathogens of human interest. Current global control/eradication efforts are focused in lethal control regiments based in rodenticide deployment, a measure with short-term effect that allows population rebound with time. Studies in rodent ecology are fundamental to develop effective control programs and guide the implementation at a local scale. The present study evaluated aspects of landscape ecology and demography or urban rodents in the context of an endemic area for leptospirosis in Salvador. Rat infestation in Salvador is linked to resources associated to precarious urban infrastructure and urban poverty. Basic urban services (trash collection, rodenticide campaigns by local pest control, and visits from health agents) need further evaluation to elucidate their role in prevention and control of rodent-borne zoonotic spread. There is a clear gap in literature regarding empirical studies evaluating the effectivity of rodenticide deployment as zoonosis prevention measure. Finally, a predictive score for severe leptospirosis cases based in infestation signs is proposed.
