Using Rhodamine B to assess the movement of small mammals in an urban slum

Abstract

The small mammals, especially rats are pest species that are present in cities world‐wide. The rat moves around and into residences and other anthropogenic structures. It is especially ubiquitous in urban slums and a threat to infrastructure and public health due to the pathogens it carries and transmits. Effective control of rat populations in most urban areas has been unsuccessful, despite several rodent control efforts. Limited information about rat movement distance has hindered identification of control units and effective scales at which to enact control during interventions. We evaluated the suitability of Rhodamine B, a non‐toxic biomarker, for assessing the distance travelled by rats in urban slums. We tracked rats over two campaigns between 2019 and 2020. Overall, 27.9% of trapped rats showed signs of Rhodamine B in their whiskers under fluorescence microscope. This shows that our method provides a viable alternative for investigating the movement of small mammals in this area. We found that rats move up to 90 m distance in urban slums, with smaller rats travelling more actively than bigger rats. Information obtained from this study should be useful in guiding efficient rodent control initiatives to reduce the risk of household rodent infestation and rodent‐borne disease in urban slums.

Systematic surveillance tools to reduce rodent pests in disadvantaged urban areas can empower communities and improve public health

“…The pilot surveillance took place over a single season and a single urban setting, which likely limits our ability to fully understand the suitability of our protocol for a range of contexts found across urban areas in LMICs. However, several of the components presented have been tested and validated in other contexts 1 , 40 , 46 , 54 , 55 , thus making us confident in its easy and promising application in a wide range of other socio-cultural urban contexts over the world. To successfully adapt this protocol elsewhere, engagement of the local residents and other multi-sectoral stakeholders is essential and requires extensive concertation to fully understand which local socio-cultural constraints could be blocking progress and which leverages could be instrumental.…”

“…The ST is useful for either managing rodent populations or for determining species richness and relative abundance. Field officers were encouraged to conduct at least one to two days of pre-baiting before trapping proper, as this has been shown to increase rodent trapping success and prevent neophobia among the rodent community 40 , 54 , 55 , 58 – 60 . Before trap placement, field officers obtained trapping permit or approval where necessary; checked the functionality of the traps; placed traps in areas with no or low livestock activities (to prevent the killing of non-target species); marked all trapping points on the map; placed traps in areas with active rodent signs (i.e.…”

Systematic surveillance tools to reduce rodent pests in disadvantaged urban areas can empower communities and improve public health

“…The eld o cers were encouraged to conduct at least one-two days of pre-baiting before the trapping proper, this has shown to increase rodent trapping success and prevent neophobia among the rodent community 40,54,55,[58][59][60] . Before trap placement, eld o cers obtained trapping permit or approval where necessary; checked the functionality of the traps; placed traps in areas with no or low livestock activities (to prevent the killing of non-target species); marked all trapping points on the map; placed traps in areas with active rodent signs (i.e.…”

Application of Three-Dimensional Porous Aerogel as Adsorbent for Removal of Textile Dyes from Water

“…Rhodamine B is often used to determine the speed and direction of flow. Rhodamine dyes fluoresce [7]. The molecular formula of the dye is C 28 H 31 ClN 2 O 3 .…”