Institut für Epidemiologie und Pathogendiagnostik
Rodents colonize many different habitats in large numbers and are therefore suitable as sentinels for environmental contaminants, zoonotic pathogens, antibiotic resistance and other factors. The environmental contaminants can originate from agriculture, industry and the household environment. They, as well as pathogens and resistance genes, are presumably subject to fluctuations due to the intensity of use (e.g. organic farming vs. integrated farming), seasonal processes, but possibly also due to climate change. The resulting patterns and regulating mechanisms can only be tracked through medium to long-term monitoring. In this project, organ samples from rodent carcasses will be tested for residues of environmental contaminants, zoonotic pathogens, resistance genes, etc. The carcasses originate from pest controllers and other institutions whose activities generate the carcasses and not from special or additional trapping for this project. The carcasses are processed at EP-MU and the sample material is analyzed at e.g. ÖPV and the FLI. The results will help to identify hotspots of environmental contaminants, zoonotic pathogens and antibiotic resistance and provide information on spatial patterns (e.g. organic farming vs. integrated farming, habitats, population density, biodiversity), dynamics (seasonal, perennial) and possibly regulating processes (climate, regulation of applications). The project thus operates within the One Health approach at the interface of plant, animal, human and environmental health.
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity
