Purpose: The objective of the pilot study was to test a trapping protocol for rodents and shrews and to examine whether these animals, in Finland, carry Campylobacter or Samonella bacteria in their intestines.
Methods: The pests were trapped near to two cattle farms (Farm 1 and Farm 2) and two houses from urban area (Control 1 and Control 2), during autumn 2016. They were transported to a laboratory where their intestinal contensts were examined for Campylobacter and Salmonella using standard methods.
Results: Yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), house mice (Mus musculus), brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), and common shrews (Sorex araneus) were caught during the study. In total, Campylobacter jejuni was isolated six times, while Salmonella Typhimurium was isolated once from a yellow-necked mouse from Farm 2. Campylobacter was a common finding from the rodents from farm environments (4/8 trap checks) and from control environments (2/8 trap checks).
Significance: The results of the pilot study showed that the rodents in Finland may carry both Campylobacter and Salmonella in their intestines and that the trapping protocol is suitable for a larger study. As rodents can be a significant route for zoonotic bacteria from the environment to the farms, the impact of these pests as vectors should be studied. Increasing knowledge on the pathways of zoonotic pathogens in food-producing animals may help risk managers target their actions accordingly; to prevent consumers from food-mediated zoonotic infections.