Using rat genetics to inform disease control in Brazil’s urban slums

In the community of Pau da Lima, Brazil, poor infrastructure and floods contribute to higher exposure to leptospirosis, a rat-borne disease. [Photo by Jonathan Richardson]
November 15, 2017

A research team from Yale and Providence College is using DNA analyses to combat the leptospirosis disease that plagues urban slums in Brazil. This tropical disease is transmitted by water contaminated with rat urine. Seasonal rains and floods bring new outbreaks, and highly populated favelas that foster high rat density are particularly susceptible to the disease.

By studying Norway rats and their urban landscape genetics, the team is able to determine the rats’ origins and the routes they followed between valleys. Understanding the rats –  key pest responsible for the outbreaks – is critical for minimizing people’s risk of contracting leptospirosis by informing disease control and monitoring actions.

Individuals participating in the research include Mary Burak (Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies), Gisella Caccone (Yale Center for Genetic Analyses of Biodiversity), Jonathan Richardson (Providence College), and Albert Ko (Yale Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health).  

Read the full story on Scienceline.

Full paper: Richardson, J. L., Burak, M. K., Hernandez, C., Shirvell, J. M., Mariani, C., Carvalho‐Pereira, T. S., … & Taylor, J. (2017). Using fine‐scale spatial genetics of Norway rats to improve control efforts and reduce leptospirosis risk in urban slum environmentsEvolutionary Applications10(4), 323-337.

News & Updates

Close-up of a male greater sage-grouse ‘strut’ display

Study led by YIBS Faculty Affiliate Richard Prum's lab reveals mating tip for bird species: You should be dancing

May 30, 2025
When it comes to impressing the ladies, greater sage-grouse males know that smooth dance moves trump combative posturing. Indeed, new Yale research into these prairie-...
A cactus wren

Even birds can’t outfly climate change

May 28, 2025
As rising global temperatures alter ecosystems worldwide, animal species usually have two choices: adapt to changing local conditions or flee to a cooler clime. Ecologists...
Thomas Near and others have discovered two darter species — the Gurley Darter and the Birmingham Darter — in the Mobile River system in central Alabama.

YIBS Faculty Affiliate Thomas Near and others find two new fish species in Alabama streams — and they’re already imperiled

April 29, 2025
Yale researchers have discovered two new species of darter — small, colorful freshwater fishes — inhabiting short stretches of creeks and streams in central Alabama.  And...