Among the major pests affecting the food products, rodents are well known as a source of foodborne diseases. In this review I focused on the role of rodents in transmission of foodborne diseases. They spread diseases, contaminate food, water and products, destroy crops, and also damage food stocks and properties. Almost all reported cases of foodborne diseases are caused by pathogenic bacteria or by the poisons produced by them. Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli., Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteriditis and S. typhymurium are most frequent pathogenic bacteria transmitted to foods by rodents. Pest rodents entering or infesting food products or establishments, or poorly executed rodent control programs are potential sources of physical, microbiological and chemical hazards. Hence, monitoring pests, good hygiene practices during preparation, storing and serving food products, keep food safe with time and temperature control, and checking the health of food service personnel are recommended to prevent foodborne illness which is a major concern in the food service establishment.

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Paralactaga williamsi, a five-toed jerboa, is known to occur in Anatolian Turkey, northern Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan and western Iran. Here, we report the first record of this species in Kopet-Dag Mountains, northeastern Iran. Species identification was based on external morphology, skull and molar teeth morphology and morphometrics studies, as well as molecular an alyses. Brief notes on the ecology of the species are also provided. This new record expands the distribution of P. williamsi in Iran about 850 km eastward, however further sampling will be needed for a better judgment on the taxonomic status of this species in eastern Iran and to determine the patterns of its distribution. Since the specimen did not group with other P. williamsi in the cytochrome b analysis, we provisionally classify the specimens as P. cf. williamsi.

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Great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus Lichtenstein, 1823) is distributed in Central Asia and some parts of the Middle East. It is widely found in central and northeast parts of Iran with two distinct genetic lineages: R. o. sodalis in the northern slopes of the Elburz Mountains and R. o. sargadensis in the southern slopes. This large rodent acts as the main host of natural focal diseases. No study has surveyed the ecological niche of the lineages and how their distribution might be influenced by different climatic variables. To examine the distribution patterns of this murid rodent, we aimed to determine the habitat preferences and effects of environmental variables on the ecological niche. Using a species distribution approach for modeling of regional niche specialization, suitable habitats predicted for R. o. sodalis were mainly located in Golestan province in northern Iran, along the northern slope of Elburz, while R. o. sargadensis, showed great potential distribution along the southern slope of Elburz and around the Kavir Desert and the Lut Desert. Despite the widest potential distribution of R. o. sargadensis from northeast to northwest and through Central Iran, the geographic range of R. o. sodalis was smaller and mostly confined to Golestan province. The results support the presence of the two genetic lineages of Rhombomys in Iran and confirm that there is no significant niche overlap between the two subspecies. Furthermore, it provided several perspectives for future taxonomic studies and prevention hygiene programs for public health.