Rodent-borne pathogens as economic and zoonotic health threat to livestock farming: a review.

Abstract

Introduction: Economic losses and health risks caused by disease outbreaks in farm animals pose a considerable threat worldwide. Rodents play a crucial role in the transmission of a variety of zoonotic pathogens acting as intermediate, main or reservoir hosts for many bacteria, viruses and parasites. Rodent-borne pathogen transmission can occur through direct or indirect contact, through contaminated food and water or through arthropod vectors. This review provides an overview about the current state of knowledge to demonstrate how rodents are involved in the transmission of the most relevant livestock pathogens.

Material and methods: Two literature databases (Web of Science, PubMed) were used to create a list of publications on all relevant pathogen types (bacteria, viruses, parasites, other), the most mentioned rodent species involved in pathogen transmission and the most common livestock types (cattle, swine, poultry) published in English from inception to September 2025.

Results: The 494 articles that matched keywords/abstract and focus considered bacteria (n=204) as the main pathogen type, followed by parasites (n=166), viruses (n=92), others (n=15) and rodents on farms (n=17). The most studied pathogens were Leptospira, Salmonella, Toxoplasma, and Trichinella. Most papers concentrated on commensal Rattus spp. and Mus musculus - wild rodent species are clearly underrepresented and there were mostly descriptive studies without consideration of processes and intervention.

Conclusion: The role of rodents in transmission pathways of an extremely broad range of pathogens is demonstrated. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms to decrease economical cost and health issues for commensal and field/forest rodent species alike.