Prevalence of Yersinia pestis among rodents captured in a semi-arid tropical ecosystem of south-western Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study assessed the prevalence of plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) among rodents captured in Umzingwane and Nkayi districts, south-western Zimbabwe. A total of 44 rodents were captured on three consecutive days per trapping session in the study sites using a removal trapping method in April 2018. Captured rodents were euthanized, and blood samples were collected. The Giemsa stain method was used to detect plague bacteria. The trapping success was not significantly different (χ² = 1.50, df = 1, P = 0.221), 8.5% for the Nkayi district, while in the Umzingwane district, it was 8%. Overall, only one rodent species, i.e., Mastomys natalensis, tested positive for Y. pestis in the Umzingwane district, thus yielding a prevalence rate of 2.3% for the entire study area. This was the most important finding of a Y. pestis-positive rodent in a non-endemic wild area in the Umzingwane district. These results point to a low prevalence of Y. pestis in the study area and the importance of an active plague disease surveillance and monitoring system.