Seroprevalence of Yersinia pestis in dogs and small rodents in one hyperendemic plague focus of Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Plague is endemic in Ituri of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In order to evaluate the role of commensal rodents and domestic dogs in the spread of the disease, we studied the seroprevalence at Rethy. Results showed that the 27/28 small rodents were seronegative (using immunoglobulin G anti-F1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), but one of them, Nile rat was positive. These rodents serve as intermediaries, spreading the disease to domiciliary black rats. Of the 11 dogs tested by ELISA, 4 were seropositive (36%). Our results confirm that the serological prevalence in dogs is a reliable marker for the surveillance of plague.