ArticlePloS one2012
Immune responses to plague infection in wild Rattus rattus, in Madagascar: a role in foci persistence?
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- An Overview of the Genetic Diversity and Epidemiological Potential ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- First assessment of plague in terrestrial small mammals and fleas from Makira Natural Park and surroundings, North-eastern Madagascar.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Unraveling the role of rat and flea population dynamics on the seasonality of plague epidemics in Madagascar.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Immunogenetics, sylvatic plague and its vectors: insights from the pathogen reservoir Mastomys natalensis in Tanzania.Immunogenetics · 2023Article
- An inactivated recombinant rabies virus chimerically expressed RBD induces humoral and cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and RABV.Virologica Sinica · 2023Article
- Polygenic plague resistance in the great gerbil uncovered by population sequencing.PNAS nexus · 2022Article
- Rodent control to fight plague: field assessment of methods based on rat density reduction.Integrative zoology · 2021Article
- Field assessment of dog as sentinel animal for plague in endemic foci of Madagascar.Integrative zoology · 2021Article
- Human plague: An old scourge that needs new answers.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Review
- Exposure to Yersinia pestis increases resistance to plague in black rats and modulates transmission in Madagascar.BMC research notes · 2018Article
- The ecology of immune state in a wild mammal, Mus musculus domesticus.PLoS biology · 2018Article
- The Asian house shrew Suncus murinus as a reservoir and source of human outbreaks of plague in Madagascar.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Article
- The Immunology of Wild Rodents: Current Status and Future Prospects.Frontiers in immunology · 2017Review
- Climatic and evolutionary drivers of phase shifts in the plague epidemics of colonial India.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2016Article
- Understanding the persistence of plague foci in Madagascar.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2013Review
- Plague circulation and population genetics of the reservoir Rattus rattus: the influence of topographic relief on the distribution of the disease within the Madagascan focus.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2013Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPlague is endemic within the central highlands of Madagascar, where its main reservoir is the black rat, Rattus rattus. Typically this species is considered susceptible to plague, rapidly dying after infection inducing the spread of infected fleas and, therefore, dissemination of the disease to humans. However, persistence of transmission foci in the same area from year to year, supposes mechanisms of maintenance among which rat immune responses could play a major role. Immunity against plague and subsequent rat survival could play an important role in the stabilization of the foci. In this study, we aimed to investigate serological responses to plague in wild black rats from endemic areas of Madagascar. In addition, we evaluate the use of a recently developed rapid serological diagnostic test to investigate the immune response of potential reservoir hosts in plague foci. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsWe experimentally infected wild rats with Yersinia pestis to investigate short and long-term antibody responses. Anti-F1 IgM and IgG were detected to evaluate this antibody response. High levels of anti-F1 IgM and IgG were found in rats one and three weeks respectively after challenge, with responses greatly differing between villages. Plateau in anti-F1 IgM and IgG responses were reached for as few as 500 and 1500 colony forming units (cfu) inoculated respectively. More than 10% of rats were able to maintain anti-F1 responses for more than one year. This anti-F1 response was conveniently followed using dipsticks. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Inoculation of very few bacteria is sufficient to induce high immune response in wild rats, allowing their survival after infection. A great heterogeneity of rat immune responses was found within and between villages which could heavily impact on plague epidemiology. In addition, results indicate that, in the field, anti-F1 dipsticks are efficient to investigate plague outbreaks several months after transmission.
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