Species Identification of Rickettsia in Blood of a Confirmed Human Case of Rickettsial Disease and Their Presence in Urban Rodents at Kota Samarahan and Kuching, Sarawak.
Rickettsial diseases are emerging zoonoses with significant public health implications, especially in urban areas where human-rodent interactions are frequent. Urban rodents are known reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens, and their role in the transmission of Rickettsia species in Malaysia remains negle...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English English |
| Published: |
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2025
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| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/50572/ |
| Abstract | Abstract here |
| Summary: | Rickettsial diseases are emerging zoonoses with significant public health implications, especially in urban areas where human-rodent interactions are frequent. Urban rodents are known reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens, and their role in the transmission of Rickettsia species in Malaysia remains neglected. This study investigates its presence in Sarawak, a region with limited data on Rickettsial infections and their zoonotic transmission dynamics. Therefore, to assess these potential zoonotic links, the objectives of this study are first to identify the Rickettsia species from a case report on a human host diagnosed with Rickettsial disease in Kuching, Sarawak, and secondly to determine the presence of Rickettsia species in urban rodents at Kota Samarahan and Kuching, Sarawak. Using PCR amplification targeting the gltA, ompA, and ompB genes, the patient’s blood sample was identified as closely related to Rickettsia typhi with high sequence similarities (97.64%, 98.71%, and 97.55%, respectively). Similarly, among the 206 rodents captured, 191 were examined, and R. typhi was detected in 1.57% of the samples, predominantly in Rattus
tanezumi. In addition, R. felis was also identified, yielding an overall Rickettsia prevalence of 4.18%. Notably, urban hotspots such as Samariang Market exhibited higher infection rates, highlighting the zoonotic risk in areas with dense rodent-human interactions. The findings highlight the role of rodents as reservoirs and ectoparasites as potential vectors, demonstrating the importance of rodent control and surveillance in urban ecosystems. This research provides the latest evidence of R. typhi in Sarawak, emphasising the need for integrated management strategies and further studies to elucidate the dynamics of Rickettsial transmission in the region. |
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