A global overview of the most important zoonotic bacteria pathogens transmitted from Rattus norvegicus to humans in urban environments

Zoonotic pathogens, comprising over 61% of all pathogenic microorganisms, can be transmitted from different animals to individuals in numerous ways either in the presence or the absence of a vector. Causing new emerging human infectious diseases, these pathogens could be categorized into 4 groups, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Among the wide range of reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens, tremendous attention has been attracted to wild rats, due to their global distribution not only in urban environments but also in the sylvatic and agricultural surroundings. For the nonce, zoonotic bacteria transmitted via wild rats have turned into a global public health problem probably due to their ability to induce re-emerging diseases even after eradication and controlling management. Despite the importance of wild rats in spreading pathogens, little data are available about the bacterial diversity present in urban wild rat populations. In this review, we present a complete list of zoonotic bacterial pathogens isolated from wild rats in urban environments.