CONNECTIVITY AMONG NORWAY RAT POPULATION (Rattus norvegicus) OF POULTRY FARMS OF EXALTACIÓN DE LA CRUZ, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

GÓMEZ VILLAFAÑE, ISABEL; GUZMÁN, NOELIA; ORTIZ, NATALIA; GONZALEZ ITTIG, RAÚL; BUSCH, MARÍA

MASTOZOOLOGí­A NEOTROPICAL

UNIDAD DE ZOOLOGÍA Y ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL, INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE INVESTIGACIÓN DE LAS ZONAS ARIDAS, CRICYT, CONICET

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2019

0327-9383

Despite of the substantial economic and human health problems produced by rodents of the genus Rattus, almost nothing is known about its effective dispersal. In the present study we analyze the genetic subdivision of R. norvegicus inhabiting poultry farms of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the relation between spatial and genetic distance by means of variation in microsatellite loci. We analyzed 40 rats captured between April-06 and June-07 from nine poultry farms distributed in an area of 110 km2. No genetic subdivision was found among individuals of different poultry farms. This result supports the hypothesis of high connectivity between R. norvegicus inhabiting poultry farms in Buenos Aires. Because this species is a known host of diverse zoonosis as leptospirosis and trichinosis, based in our study, there is a great risk of transmission throughout distances at least 12 km. Therefore, health, control and preventive measurements should be applied in all nearby poultry farms simultaneously.