eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v15i1.400Submitted date: 5 February 2026
Accepted date: 26 April 2026
Published date: 16 May 2026
Pp. 48–55.
PREVALENCE OF LEPTOSPIROSIS AND AGE STRUCTURE OF Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) (MAMMALIA: RODENTIA: MURIDAE) ACROSS URBAN AREAS IN INDONESIARistiyanto Ristiyanto*, Arief Mulyono, Farida D. Handayani, Raden A. Wigati, M. Mujiyanto, Triwibowo A. Garjito, Agung P. Kesuma, Tri Wahono, Muhammad C. Hidajat, Dian E. Setyaningtyas, Anis N. Widayati & Ibnu Maryanto
*Corresponding author. E-mail: rist009@brin.go.id
AbstractThis study examined the age structure and prevalence of Leptospira infection in
Rattus norvegicus to assess age-related transmission of leptospirosis. Sampling was conducted from 2015 to 2021 across five urban locations in Indonesia: Semarang City, Demak Regency, Bandung Regency, Makassar City, and Samarinda. Rats were trapped in indoor and outdoor habitats, euthanized, and sampled for blood and eye lenses. Conventional PCR was used to detect Leptospira DNA in kidney samples, while lens weight was used to estimate age. A total of 263 rats were captured (159 females, 104 males), ranging in age from 126.4 to 1037.5 days. Infection prevalence was highest among rats aged 240.3–354.2 days (9 individuals) and 126.4–240.3 days (7 individuals), with most positives occurring indoors (23 individuals) compared to only 10 individuals outdoors. Overall, 12.5% of rats (33 individuals) tested positive, with 69.7% (23 individuals) recorded indoors and 30.3% (10 individuals) outdoors. Females showed slightly higher prevalence (13.2%, 21 individuals) than males (11.5%, 12 individuals). The predominance of infected rats in indoor habitats indicates a higher risk of transmission, particularly in Semarang and Demak.
Section Editor: Caio G. Zeppelini