When science remembers what is neglected: Addressing the risks of rodent-borne diseases in urban Latin America

Latin American cities face deep socio-economic inequalities that impact health, education, and the environment. These disparities influence zoonotic disease dynamics through complex host-pathogen-environment-human interactions. This study explores zoonotic risks associated with rodent communities across diverse social and environmental settings in the Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin, one of the most polluted urban areas in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Between 2022 and 2023, rodent community composition and health status were assessed at 22 sites, ranging from low-income neighborhoods to green areas along an urbanization gradient. A total of 366 rodents—comprising three synanthropic and four native species—were captured and tested for leptospirosis, Orthohantavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and zoonotic helminths. Rodent community structure reflected local environmental conditions: wild species dominated low-disturbance areas, while synanthropic species, especially Rattus norvegicus, prevailed in densely p..., , # When science remembers what is neglected: Addressing the risks of rodent-borne diseases in urban Latin America

Dryad DOI: [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9s4mw6mvs](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9s4mw6mvs)

**Input data**:

Raw data: Rodent_Communities.csv

# For analysis of rodent communities

* Site # 1-12 (low-income neighborhoods), 13-22 (Green areas)
* R.norvegicus # rodent species
* R.rattus # rodent species
* M.musculus # rodent species
* O.flavescens # rodent species
* A.azarae # rodent species
* S.aquaticus # rodent species
* D.kempi # rodent species
* Use_Management # Residential, Formal_Conservation, Mixed_Conservation/absent, Recreational
* %vegetated_area # calculated in 1km² buffer level
* %urbanized_area # calculated in 1km² buffer level
* %area_with_water # calculated in 1km²...,