Reservoir displacement by an invasive rodent reduces Lassa virus zoonotic spillover risk

Evan A. Eskew (), Brian H. Bird, Bruno M. Ghersi, James Bangura, Andrew J. Basinski, Emmanuel Amara, Mohamed A. Bah, Marilyn C. Kanu, Osman T. Kanu, Edwin G. Lavalie, Victor Lungay, Willie Robert, Mohamed A. Vandi, Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet and Scott L. Nuismer ()
Additional contact information
Evan A. Eskew: University of Idaho
Brian H. Bird: University of California - Davis
Bruno M. Ghersi: University of California - Davis
James Bangura: University of Makeni
Andrew J. Basinski: University of Idaho
Emmanuel Amara: University of Makeni
Mohamed A. Bah: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Marilyn C. Kanu: University of Makeni
Osman T. Kanu: University of Makeni
Edwin G. Lavalie: University of Makeni
Victor Lungay: University of Makeni
Willie Robert: University of Makeni
Mohamed A. Vandi: Ministry of Health and Sanitation
Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine
Scott L. Nuismer: University of Idaho

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The black rat (Rattus rattus) is a globally invasive species that has been widely introduced across Africa. Within its invasive range in West Africa, R. rattus may compete with the native rodent Mastomys natalensis, the primary reservoir host of Lassa virus, a zoonotic pathogen that kills thousands annually. Here, we use rodent trapping data from Sierra Leone and Guinea to show that R. rattus presence reduces M. natalensis density within the human dwellings where Lassa virus exposure is most likely to occur. Further, we integrate infection data from M. natalensis to demonstrate that Lassa virus zoonotic spillover risk is lower at sites with R. rattus. While non-native species can have numerous negative effects on ecosystems, our results suggest that R. rattus invasion has the indirect benefit of decreasing zoonotic spillover of an endemic pathogen, with important implications for invasive species control across West Africa.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47991-1

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