Rodent biology and integrated pest management in agriculture and public health in East Africa

Objective

Rodents are a problem in agriculture and public health in developing countries because they destroy harvests and carry zoonotic diseases such as plague and leptospirosis. Control of these problems needs an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach which has hitherto not been given proper attention in rodent control. Such an approach requests a sound biological basis but will result in a more effective and environmentally friendly control strategy.
The project will contribute to the development of IPM strategies by focusing on four different topics, concentrating on the main pest rodent species in Tanzania, the multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis : - Description of the population dynamics of these rodents and the importance of habitat heterogeneity and dispersal in it, based on a capture-recapture study, dispersal studies using radiotelemetry and study of recolonization after a successful control action with or without accompanying IPM measures.
- Description of the distribution of leptospirosis and the
involvement of different rodent reservoirs and spirochete serovars in different areas of Tanzania. To this end, a serosurvey of rodents from different regions will be organized and spirochetes
will be isolated and characterized immunologically (serologically and antigenically).
- Development and evaluation of combinations of rodenticides and systemic insecticides to control rodents and fleas simultaneously ln plague affected villages. After palatability and toxicity tests of these combinations in the lab, their applicability will be evaluated in the field.
- Development of integrated pest management strategies for rodent control in Tanzanian smallholder farms using the information about movements and recolonization obtained in the ecological project topic. The project will test the general validity of a recent model to forecast outbreaks of Mastomys rats and develop better field control strategies. It will standardize damage-assessment
techniques to evaluate the efficiency of those strategies.

Programme(s)

• FP3-STD 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the life sciences and technologies for developing countries, 1990-1994

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Universitair Centrum Antwerpen

Address

171,Groenenborgenlaan
2020 Antwerpen
Belgium

Participants (6)

ADDIS ABEBA UNIVERSITY

Ethiopia

Address

2003 Addis Abeba

MINISTERE DE L'AGRICULTURE

Tanzania

Address

Morogoro

SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Tanzania

Address

3110,
Morogoro

Statens Skadedyrlaboratorium

Denmark

Address

14,Skovbrynet
2800 Lyngby

Tropical Pesticides Research Institute

Tanzania

Address

Arusha

UNIVERSITY OF OSLO

Norway

Address

Molkte Moes Vei 32 Blindern
0316 Oslo