Molecular detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in wild rats from urban areas of Banyuwangi District, Indonesia: Implications for zoonotic risk and public health

Vet World Vol.18 October-2025 Article - 14

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(10): 3109-3119

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.3109-3119

Ratih Novita Praja^1,2, Elham Zahrudin¹, Ryanka Edila³, Aditya Yudhana^1,2, April Hari Wardhana⁴, Dyah Haryuningtyas Sawitri⁴, Tati Ariyanti⁴, Faidah Rachmawati⁴, Alfian Dzaka Fadhil Ramadhan¹, Frenky Laksana Putra¹, Muhammad Aqil Kurnianto¹, Aldi Gusnizar Rizaldy Tanjung¹, Priyono Priyono⁵, Ristiyanto Ristiyanto⁶, and Makoto Matsubayashi⁷

1. Veterinary Medicine Study Program, Department of Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Universitas Airlangga, Banyuwangi, Indonesia.

2. Research Group for Animal Biomedical and Conservation, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.

3. Doctoral Program of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.

4. Research Center for Veterinary Science, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong, Bogor, Indonesia.

5. Research Center for Behavioral and Circular Economics, Research Organization of Governance, Economy, and Community Welfare, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia.

6. Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, Organization Research for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong, Bogor, Indonesia.

7. Laboratory of Veterinary Immunology, Department of Bioenvironmental Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan.

Background and Aim: Escherichia coli strains producing Shiga toxins (stx1, stx2) are important zoonotic pathogens. Wild rats, common in urban environments with poor sanitation, may act as reservoirs and contribute to environmental contamination. This study aimed to detect Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in wild rats captured from slum-adjacent urban areas of Banyuwangi District, Indonesia.

Materials and Methods: From August to October 2024, a total of 100 wild rats (32% Rattus norvegicus, 68% Rattus tanezumi) were trapped in Kampung Mandar and Lateng Villages. Rectal swabs were collected and cultured on eosin methylene blue agar, followed by biochemical and sugar fermentation tests for preliminary identification. Molecular confirmation of E. coli was performed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting cydA and lacY. Confirmed isolates were further screened for stx1 and stx2 genes. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square tests.

Results: PCR confirmed E. coli in 57% (57/100) of rats. Among these, 47.36% (27/57) carried the stx1 gene, 7.01% (4/57) carried the stx2 gene, and 3.51% (2/57) harbored both genes. The prevalence of E. coli was significantly higher in R. tanezumi than in R. norvegicus (p = 0.000), but toxin gene distribution showed no significant differences across species, sex, or locations.

Conclusion: This study provides the first molecular evidence of wild rats in Banyuwangi carrying E. coli strains harboring stx1 and stx2 genes. The findings highlight the role of urban rodents as reservoirs of zoonotic STEC and underline the need for routine monitoring, improved waste management, and integrated One Health strategies to mitigate zoonotic transmission risks in high-density urban environments.

Keywords: Banyuwangi, Escherichia coli, infectious disease, one health, public health, Shiga toxin, wild rats, zoonosis.

How to cite this article: Praja RN, Zahrudin E, Edila R, Yudhana A, Wardhana AH, Sawitri DH, Ariyanti T, Rachmawati F, Ramadhan ADF, Putra FL, Kurnianto MA, Tanjung AGR, Priyono P, Ristiyanto R, and Matsubayashi M (2025) Molecular detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in wild rats from urban areas of Banyuwangi District, Indonesia: Implications for zoonotic risk and public health, Veterinary World, 18(10): 3109-3119.

Received: 29-05-2025 Accepted: 19-09-2025 Published online: 20-10-2025

Corresponding author: April Hari Wardhana E-mail: wardhana24id@yahoo.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.3109-3119

Copyright: Praja, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.