Prevalence of Zika virus in brain tissues of rodent animals trapped in Xiamen, Shenzhen and Guangzhou cities

Objective To examine the prevalence of Zika virus in brain tissues from rodent animals trapped in Xiamen,Shenzhen and Guangzhou city,and to explore whether rodent animals are potential sources of human Zika virus infection.Methods Rodent animals were trapped in residential areas,urban parks,hospitals,markets,and schools in Xiamen,Shenzhen and Guangzhou (Yuexiu and Baiyun districts) between January 2013 and June 2016.Brain tissues of the trapped animals were collected under sterile condition.Zika virus in the brain tissue samples was detected with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results Totally 1 092 rodent animals of 7 species,3 genera,2 families,and 2 orders were trapped.Rattus norvegicus was the dominant species (59.84%,593/991) trapped in indoor environment and Rattus losea was the dominant (98.02%,99/101) in wild environment.No Zika virus nucleic acid positive samples were detected for all the samples.Conclusion The possibility is low for rodent animals being the source of Zika virus infection in Xiamen,Shenzhen and Guangzhou city.