James E. Childs
YOU?
Author Swipe
View article: Disentangling the influence of reservoir abundance and pathogen shedding on zoonotic spillover of the Leptospira agent in urban informal settlements
Disentangling the influence of reservoir abundance and pathogen shedding on zoonotic spillover of the Leptospira agent in urban informal settlements Open
Rats are major reservoirs for pathogenic Leptospira , the bacteria causing leptospirosis, particularly in urban informal settlements. However, the impact of variation in rat abundance and pathogen shedding rates on spillover transmission t…
View article: Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil
Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil Open
Background: Zoonotic spillover from animal reservoirs is responsible for a significant global public health burden, but the processes that promote spillover events are poorly understood in complex urban settings. Endemic transmission of Le…
View article: Author response: Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil
Author response: Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil Open
Article Figures and data Abstract Editor's evaluation Introduction Materials and methods Results Discussion Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Appendix 5 Appendix 6 Appendix 7 Appendix 8 Data availability References Decision lette…
View article: Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil
Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil Open
Background The presence of synanthropic rodents, such as Rattus norvegicus , in urban environments generates high costs of prophylaxis and control, in large part due to the environmental transmission of the pathogenic spirochete Leptospira…
View article: Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil
Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil Open
dataset of rodent trapping in a pre/post-intervention scheme. Check publication of the same name for details on the study design. File contains complete comprehensive codebook.
View article: Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil
Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil Open
dataset of rodent trapping in a pre/post-intervention scheme. Check publication of the same name for details on the study design. File contains complete comprehensive codebook.
View article: Population Dynamics of Synanthropic Rodents After a Chemical and Infrastructural Intervention in an Urban Low-income Community
Population Dynamics of Synanthropic Rodents After a Chemical and Infrastructural Intervention in an Urban Low-income Community Open
Synanthropic rodents are ubiquitous in low-income communities and pose risks for human health, as they are generally resistant to control programs. However, few or no studies have evaluated the long-term effect of chemical and infrastructu…
View article: Population dynamics of synanthropic rodents after a chemical and infrastructural intervention in an urban low-income community
Population dynamics of synanthropic rodents after a chemical and infrastructural intervention in an urban low-income community Open
A three years longitudinal study (2014 – 2017) carried out in a low-income community in the city of Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil to characterize the effect of interventions (chemical and infrastructural) on the long –term dynamics of a ro…
View article: Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover <i>Leptospira</i> infections in marginalised urban settings: an eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil
Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover <i>Leptospira</i> infections in marginalised urban settings: an eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil Open
Background Zoonotic spillover from animal reservoirs is responsible for a significant global public health burden, but the processes that promote spillover events are poorly understood in complex urban settings. Endemic transmission of Lep…
View article: Flooding and abandonment have shaped rat demography across post-Katrina New Orleans
Flooding and abandonment have shaped rat demography across post-Katrina New Orleans Open
• Disasters can result in conditions that promote transmission of zoonotic pathogens. • Rat demography was examined to assess public health risks in post-Katrina New Orleans. • Prevalence was higher in areas that sustained more severe floo…
View article: Genetic Evidence for a Potential Environmental Pathway to Spillover Infection of Rat-Borne Leptospirosis
Genetic Evidence for a Potential Environmental Pathway to Spillover Infection of Rat-Borne Leptospirosis Open
In this study, we genotyped samples from environmental reservoirs (surface water and soil), colonized rat specimens, and cases of human severe leptospirosis from an endemic urban slum in Brazil, to determine the molecular epidemiology of p…
View article: Effects of Accounting for Interval-Censored Antibody Titer Decay on Seroincidence in a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Leptospirosis
Effects of Accounting for Interval-Censored Antibody Titer Decay on Seroincidence in a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Leptospirosis Open
Accurate measurements of seroincidence are critical for infections undercounted by reported cases, such as influenza, arboviral diseases, and leptospirosis. However, conventional methods of interpreting paired serological samples do not ac…
View article: Coinfection modifies carriage of enzootic and zoonotic parasites in Norway rats from an urban slum
Coinfection modifies carriage of enzootic and zoonotic parasites in Norway rats from an urban slum Open
We examine coinfection between helminth species and the bacterium Leptospira interrogans in a natural population of the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus . We ask whether coinfection can influence the probability and intensity of infection of …
View article: Significant Genetic Impacts Accompany an Urban Rat Control Campaign in Salvador, Brazil
Significant Genetic Impacts Accompany an Urban Rat Control Campaign in Salvador, Brazil Open
Rats thrive in human-dominated landscapes and have expanded to a near global distribution. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) contaminate food, damage infrastructure, and are reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens that cause human diseases. To lim…
View article: A Case Study of Two Rodent-Borne Viruses: Not Always the Same Old Suspects
A Case Study of Two Rodent-Borne Viruses: Not Always the Same Old Suspects Open
Two Old World rodents, house mice (Mus musculus) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), were introduced into and established populations on every continent, save Antarctica. With their travels, they concomitantly introduced several zoonotic …
Fine-scale GPS tracking to quantify human movement patterns and exposure to leptospires in the urban slum environment Open
GPS tracking was an effective tool for quantifying individual mobility in the complex urban slum environment and identifying risk exposures associated with that movement. This study suggests that in addition to source reduction, barrier in…
View article: Quantification of pathogenic Leptospira in the soils of a Brazilian urban slum
Quantification of pathogenic Leptospira in the soils of a Brazilian urban slum Open
This is the first study to successfully quantify the burden of pathogenic Leptospira in soil from an endemic region. Our results support the hypothesis that soil may be an under-recognized environmental reservoir contributing to transmissi…
View article: Evidence of multiple intraspecific transmission routes for<i>Leptospira</i>acquisition in Norway rats (<i>Rattus norvegicus</i>)
Evidence of multiple intraspecific transmission routes for<i>Leptospira</i>acquisition in Norway rats (<i>Rattus norvegicus</i>) Open
SUMMARY Infectious diseases frequently have multiple potential routes of intraspecific transmission of pathogens within wildlife and other populations. For pathogens causing zoonotic diseases, knowing whether these transmission routes occu…
View article: The helminth community of a population of<i>Rattus norvegicus</i>from an urban Brazilian slum and the threat of zoonotic diseases
The helminth community of a population of<i>Rattus norvegicus</i>from an urban Brazilian slum and the threat of zoonotic diseases Open
Urban slums provide suitable conditions for infestation by rats, which harbour and shed a wide diversity of zoonotic pathogens including helminths. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with the probability and intensity of infectio…
View article: Abstract Book
Abstract Book Open
International audience
View article: Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases in Urban Slums: Opportunities for Intervention
Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases in Urban Slums: Opportunities for Intervention Open
Urban slums provide conditions that increase the risk of exposure to vector-borne and zoonotic pathogens. Large interventions, such as social and sanitary changes, are a priority but their implementation is challenging. Integration between…
View article: Using fine‐scale spatial genetics of Norway rats to improve control efforts and reduce leptospirosis risk in urban slum environments
Using fine‐scale spatial genetics of Norway rats to improve control efforts and reduce leptospirosis risk in urban slum environments Open
The Norway rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) is a key pest species globally and responsible for seasonal outbreaks of the zoonotic bacterial disease leptospirosis in the tropics. The city of Salvador, Brazil, has seen recent and dramatic increases…
View article: Factors affecting carriage and intensity of infection of <i>Calodium hepaticum</i> within Norway rats (<i>Rattus norvegicus</i>) from an urban slum environment in Salvador, Brazil
Factors affecting carriage and intensity of infection of <i>Calodium hepaticum</i> within Norway rats (<i>Rattus norvegicus</i>) from an urban slum environment in Salvador, Brazil Open
SUMMARY Urban slum environments in the tropics are conducive to the proliferation and the spread of rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens to humans. Calodium hepaticum (Brancroft, 1893) is a zoonotic nematode known to infect a variety of mammali…
View article: Tick‐, mosquito‐, and rodent‐borne parasite sampling designs for the National Ecological Observatory Network
Tick‐, mosquito‐, and rodent‐borne parasite sampling designs for the National Ecological Observatory Network Open
Parasites and pathogens are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of ecological and evolutionary change in natural ecosystems. Concurrently, transmission of infectious agents among human, livestock, and wildlife populations repres…
View article: A Two-Year Ecological Study of Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in a Brazilian Urban Slum
A Two-Year Ecological Study of Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in a Brazilian Urban Slum Open
The Norway or brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is among the most ubiquitous of rodents. However, the lack of studies describing Norway rat populations from tropical areas have limited our understanding regarding their demography and seasonal …