Student Supervision

Top 10 student-led discoveries (up to May 2020):

 

Current approaches to rat increase rat-associated health risks.

 

1.      Lethal rat control (i.e., trapping and poisoning) increases public health risks associated with rats by increasing the transmission of certain zoonotic pathogens among rats.

2.      The manner in which lethal rat control influences the zoonotic pathogen ‘load’ in rats depends on the type of pathogen and whether rats acquire infections from other rats, from the environment, or from vectors.

3.      For pathogens transmitted among rats, specific behaviors and social interactions are responsible for transmission – behaviors that are altered by rat control and other anthropogenic interventions.

 

Understanding rat behavior is key to monitoring and mitigating rat-associated health risks.

 

4.      The structure and behavior of rat family groupings explains the distribution of zoonotic pathogens across the urban landscape.

5.      In contrast, features of the urban environment have very little impact on pathogen dynamics in rats.

 

It is the healthiest rats that carry the human diseases.

 
 

Constant exposure to rats among Downtown Eastside Residents has physical and mental health consequences.

 

6.      Wild urban rats suffer from a wide range of natural disease processes, particularly infectious and degenerative conditions affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory systems

7.      The diseases that make rats sick don’t make people sick and the zoonotic pathogens that make people sick are carried asymptomatically by rats.

 

8.      Residents of Vancouver’s impoverished Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighborhood have daily close contact with rats and this contact has resulted in exposure to zoonotic pathogens.

9.      Outdoor drug dealing and drug use are associated with increased rat contact among members of an impoverished urban community.

10.      Living with rats has significant, negative metal health impacts among DTES residents.

 

Summary of Students Supervised

 
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Doctoral and Masters Supervision


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Graduate Program Supervision

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Undergraduate Program Supervision


 

Student Publications and Presentations

*Trainees under my direct supervision

 

Journal Articles

  1. *Byers KA, Murray MH, Himsworth CG. 2020. One Planet, One Health: The One Health concept offers a lens for managing the health of wildlife, humans, and the environment by recognizing the systems that they share. The Wildlife Professional. In Press.

  2. *Lee MJ, *Byers KA, Donovan C, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. Leptospira spp. and urban rats: is carriage influenced by the urban environment? Journal of Wildlife Diseases. In Press

  3. *Byers KA, Booker TR, Combs M, Himsworth CG, Munshi-South J, Patrick DM, Whitlock MC. 2020. Using genetic relatedness to understand heterogeneous distributions of urban rat-associated pathogens. Evolutionary Applications https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13049

  4. *Byers KA, Cox SM, *Lam R, Himsworth CG. 2019. “They’re always there”: resident experiences of living with rats in a disadvantaged urban neighbourhood. BMC Public Health 19:853.

  5. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemeth NM, Pearl DL, Treuting PM, Jardine CM. 2019. The devil is in the details-Host disease and co-infections are associated with zoonotic pathogen carriage in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Zoonoses and Public Health 66:622-635.

  6. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, La Perle CMD, Leighton FA, Nemeth NM, Treuting PM, Jardine CM. 2019. Pathology of wild Norway rats in Vancouver, Canada. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 31: 184-199.

  7. *Byers K, *Lee MJ, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2019. Rats about town: A systematic review of rat movement in urban ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7:13.

  8. *Lee M, *Byers K, *Donovan C, Bidulka J, Stephen C, Patrick D, Himsworth C. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in urban Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations: epidemiology and the impacts of kill trapping. Zoonoses and Public Health 66: 343-348.

  9. *Lam R, Byers K, Himsworth C. 2018. Beyond Zoonoses: The mental health impacts of rat exposure on inner city residents. Journal of Environmental Health. 81(4): 8-12. Received a 2018 Ron de Burger Student Award (offered in partnership between the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and the Environmental Health Foundation of Canada for students of public health to develop awareness and promote critical analysis of environmental health issues by creating a brief evidence review.)

  10. *Donovan CM, *Lee MJ, *Byers KA, Bidulka J, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2018. Leptospira spp. in the Oral Cavity of Urban Brown Rats ( Rattus norvegicus) from Vancouver, Canada-Implications for Rat-Rat and Rat-Human Transmission. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 54(3):635-637.

  11.  *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemith NM, Pearl DL, Jardine CM.  2018. Environmental factors associated with the carriage of bacterial pathogens in Norway rats. EcoHealth 15:82-95.

  12.  *Lee M, *Byers K, *Donovan C, Bidulka J, Stephen C, Patrick D, Himsworth C. 2018. Culling increases the odds that urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) carry Leptospira interrogans. Emerging Infectious Diseases 24(2): 356-360.

  13. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemith NM, Pearl DL, Jardine CM. 2017. Beyond abundance: how microenvironmental features and weather influence Bartonella tribocorum infection in wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Zoonoses and Public Health doi: 10.1111/zph.12440.

  14. *Byers K, *Lee M, *Donovan C, Patrick D, Himsworth CG. 2018. A novel method for affixing Global Positioning System (GPS) tags to urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus): feasibility, health impacts, and potential for tracking movement. Journal of Urban Ecology, 3(1): https://doi.org/10.1093/jue/jux010

  15. *Byers K, *Lee M, *Donovan C, Patrick D, Himsworth CG. 2018. A novel method for affixing Global Positioning System (GPS) tags to urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus): feasibility, health impacts, and potential for tracking movement. Journal of Urban Ecology, 3(1): https://doi.org/10.1093/jue/jux010

  16. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemith NM, Pearl DL, Jardine CM. 2017. Environmental factors and zoonotic pathogen ecology in urban exploiter species. EcoHealth, DOI: 10.1007/s10393-017-1258-5.

  17. *Karawita A, Himsworth CG, Rajapakse RPVJ, Bolliger T, Gunawardena P. 2017. Toxocara pteropodis in free-ranging Indian Flying Foxes (Pteropus medius) in Sri Lanka. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 53(2): 414-416.

  18. *Karawita AC, Perera VP, Perera S, de Silva DS, Jayaweera WR, Himsworth CG, Bollinger TK, Gunawardena PdeS. 2016. Calodium hepaticum in Jungle Cats (Felis chaus) in Sri Lanka. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 52(4): 971-972.

  19. *Anholt H, Himsworth CG, Britton A. 2016. Polioencephalomalacia and heart failure secondary to presumptive thiamine deficiency, hepatic lipidosis, and starvation in two abandoned Siamese cats. Veterinary pathology. 53(4): 840-843.

  20. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Clifford CB, Ellis J, Treuting PM, Leighton FA. 2015. Respiratory pathology and pathogens in wild urban rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus). Veterinary Pathology 52(6): 1210-1219.

  21. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Lejeune M, Treuting PM, Leighton FA. 2014. Lesions associated with Eucoleus sp. in the non-glandular stomach of wild urban rats (Rattus norvegicus). International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites & Wildlife 3(2): 95-101.

  22. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Treuting PM, Leighton FA. 2015 Survey of cardiovascular pathology in wild urban Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus. Veterinary Pathology 52: 201-208.  

  23. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Chang V, Lejeune M, Leighton FA. 2014. Capillaria hepatica in wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Vancouver, Canada. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 50(3): 628-633.

  24. *Anholt H, Himsworth CG, Rothenburger J, Proctor H, Patrick DM. 2014. Notoedres muris in black and Norway rats (Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus) from inner-city Vancouver, Canada.  Journal of Wildlife Diseases 50(1): 104-108.

  25. *Feng AYT, Himsworth CG. 2014. The secret life of the city rat: A review of the ecology of urban Norway and black rats. Urban Ecosystems 17(1): 149-162.

Conference Proceedings  

  1. *Kuchinski K, Duan J, *Coombe M, Himsworth C, Hsiao W, Prystajecky N. Recovering influenza genomes from wild bird habitats for better avian flu surveillance. AMMI-CACMID 2020 Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, April 29 - May 2, 2020.  

  2. *Coombe M, Himsworth CG, Gadsden G, Tang P, Prystajecky N, Baticados W, Hsiao W, Jassem A. Binoculars to Bird Flu: Using Citizen Science to Study the Ecology of Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Waterfowl. AMMI-CACMID Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, March 31. 2016. Received the Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Poster Award ($800).  

  3. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Clifford C, Ellis J, Treuting PM, Leighton FA. Survey of respiratory pathology in wild urban rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus). American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians & United States Animal Health Association Annual Meeting, Kansas City, United States. October 19, 2014. Received the AAVLD Richard B. Walker Bacteriology Award for Best Oral Presentation or Poster on a Bacteriology Topic.  

Invited Presentations

*Trainees under my direct supervision  

Invited Presentations

Local

  1. *Lee M, *Byers K, Himsworth CG. The Vancouver Rat Project: Rat ecology and pathogen carriage by urban rats in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Professional Pest Management Association Symposium, Burnaby, Canada. March 5, 2018.  

  2. *Lee M, *Byers K, Himsworth CG. The Vancouver Rat Project: Vancouver’s Own Rat-Dedicated Research Team. Structural Pest Management Association of British Columbia Annual Conference, Burnaby, Canada. February 3, 2018.  

  3. *Byers K, *Lee M, Himsworth CG. Rat ecology meets disease ecology: Implications for urban disease control. Pest Management Canada, Vancouver, BC, March 18, 2017.  

  4. *Lee M, *Byers K, Himsworth, CG. The Vancouver Rat Project: The impacts of a common rat control method on the carriage of Leptospira interrogans by urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. 16th Annual BC Zoonoses Symposium. Langley, BC. November 15, 2017.  

  5. *Coombe M, Himsworth CG. The proof is in the pond scum: genomics as the key to early detection of avian flu. BCTECH Summit, Vancouver, Canada, March 2017.  

  6. *Byers K, Lee M, Himsworth CG. Urban wildlife and antimicrobial resistance: Insights from the Vancouver Rat Project. Panel: Antibiotic Resistance in a Global Village. School of Population and Public Health Exchange, Vancouver, BC. March 3, 2017.  

  7. *Byers K, Himsworth CG. Vancouver Rat Project 2016 – using rat ecology to understand risks to human health. Environmental Health Officer Educational Day, Surrey, BC. May 11, 2016.  

  8. *Coombe M, Himsworth CG. Genomic analysis of wetland sediment as a tool for avian influenza virus surveillance in wild waterfowl. WestVet (Western Meeting of Poultry Clinicians and Pathologists), Abbotsford, BC, Canada, May 2016.  

  9. *Coombe M, Himsworth CG. The Proof is in the Pond Scrum! Developing new technologies for avian influenza surveillance in wild waterfowl. BC Poultry Symposium, Abbotsford, British Columbia, May 2016.  

  10. *Byers K, *Lee M, Himsworth CG. Rat ecology meets disease ecology: Implications for urban disease control. Pest Management Canada, Vancouver, BC, March 18, 2017.  

International  

  1. *Lee M, *Byers K, Himsworth CG. Urban rats: The Vancouver Rat Project - Zoonotic Diseases & Management. A Meeting of the Minds XII, The Greater Chicago Pest Management Alliance. Chicago, USA. October 17, 2018.  

  2. *Lee M, *Byers K, Himsworth CG. How can we mitigate rat infestations at the scale of an entire city? Washington State University Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Education Program: Rodents; Rodent Surveillance and Rodenticides, Puyallup, WA, USA. March 15, 2018.  

  3. *Byers K, Himsworth CG. Rats as sponges for pathogens – an update from the Vancouver Rat Project. Pestworld, Seattle, WA. October 18 – 21, 2016.  

  4. *Byers K, Himsworth CG. Rats About Town – where we are and where we’re going. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA. January 16, 2016.  

Conference Presentations (Oral)  

Local  

  1. *Coombe M, Himsworth CG. Binoculars to bird flu: Using the citizen science database ‘eBird’ to inform avian influenza surveillance in wild waterfowl in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada. 15th Annual BC Zoonoses Symposium, Langley, BC, November 17, 2016.

National

  1. *Byers KA, *Lee MJ, Booker TR, Combs M, Munshi-South J, Patrick DM, Whitlock MC, Himsworth CG. Urban rat movement ecology and pathogen prevalence. Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, Fredericton, Canada, Aug 18 – 21, 2019. Received 2019 Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution Diversity & Excellence in Doctoral Research Award ($500).  

  2. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemeth NM, Pearl DL, Jardine CM. Spontaneous pathology of wild urban rats. Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses Annual Symposium, Guelph, ON, May 23, 2017.  

International

  1. *Byers KA, *Lee MJ, Speerin L, Fernando C, Donovan CM, Bidulka J, Zabek E, Patrick DM, Hill JE, Himsworth CG. Making a mountain out of a rat hole: Could current rat control practices have unintended consequences?  68th Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association, Lake Tahoe, United States, Aug 4 – 9, 2019. Received 2019 Wildlife Disease Association (WDA) Graduate Student Scholarship Award ($2000) and Runner up for the Terry Amundson Award for best student presentation of the conference.  

  2. *Byers K, *Lee M, *Donovan C, Bidulka J, Patrick D, Himsworth C. 2019. Unintended Consequences: Impacts of a pest control intervention on Leptospira prevalence among urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). International Leptospirosis Conference. Vancouver, BC. July 8-12.

  3. *Coombe M, Himsworth CG. The proof is in the pond scum! Genomics analysis of environmental samples to monitor and mitigate disease emergence in wildlife. Presented as part of the symposium “Real World Applications of Sequencing for Viral Surveillance and Outbreaks.” ASM Microbe, New Orleans, LA, June 1-5, 2017.  

  4. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemeth NM, Pearl DL, Jardine CM. Beyond abundance: microenvironmental and weather characteristics associated with zoonotic pathogens in urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). 66th International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association, Chiapas, Mexico, July 23 – 28, 2017.  

  5. *Byers K, *Lee M, Himsworth CG. The Vancouver Rat Project: Understanding the relationship between rat ecology and pathogen presence in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. International Urban Wildlife Conference, San Diego, CA. June 4–7, 2017.  

  6. *Byers K, Himsworth CG. Rats as sponges for pathogens – an update from the Vancouver Rat Project. Pestworld, Seattle, WA. October 18 – 21, 2016.  

  7. *Coombe M, Gadsden G, Baticados W, Zahn S, Qadir M, Jassem A, Prystajecky N, Hsiao W, Tang P, Himsworth CG. Binoculars to bird flu: using the citizen science database ‘eBird’ to inform avian influenza surveillance on wild waterfowl in the Fraser valley, British Columbia, Canada. 65th International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association, Cortland, NY, July 31 – August 5, 2016.  

  8. *Rothenburger JL, Leighton FA, Lejeune M, Treuting PM, and Himsworth CG. Lesions associated with Capillaria spp. in the forestomach of wild urban Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus. American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) Annual Meeting, Montreal, Quebec, November 16-20, 2013. Received the ACVP/American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians Diagnostic Pathology Travel Award for Best Oral Presentation ($1,000).  

Conference Presentations (Poster)

Local

  1. *Kuchinski K, Duan J, Coombe M, Himsworth C, Hsiao W, Prystajecky N. Avian influenza surveillance using targeted genomic sequencing of wetlands sediment. GenomeBC 17th Annual Genomics Forum, Vancouver, BC, May 30, 2019. 1st Place Poster Presentation at 17th Annual Genome BC Genomics Forum ($500)  

  2. *Kuchinski K, Duan J, Coombe M, Himsworth C, Hsiao W, Prystajecky N. Recovering influenza virus genomes from wild bird habitats for better avian flu surveillance. UBC Faculty of Medicine Pathology Day, Vancouver, BC, May 24, 2019. Top Poster Presentation at UBC Faculty of Medicine Pathology Day ($100)

International  

  1. *Byers KA, Booker TR, Combs M, Himsworth CG, Munshi-South J, Patrick DM, Whitlock MC. Using rat relatedness to understand heterogeneous pathogen prevalence in an urban environment. 68th Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association, Lake Tahoe, United States, Aug 4 – 9, 2019. Received the Student Poster Award for the best student poster of the conference.  

  2. *Coombe M, Baticados W, Gadsden G, Patrick DM, Prystajecky N, Hsiao W, Himsworth CG. Implementing environmental sampling for avian influenza surveillance: determining which ecological factors predict matrix-gene positive samples from wetlands in British Columbia, Canada. The 68th Annual International Conference of Wildlife Disease Association, Tahoe City, CA, August 4-9, 2019.  

  3. *Rothenburger JL, Himsworth CG, Nemeth NM, Pearl DL, Jardine CM. Spontaneous pathology of wild urban rats. 66th International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association, Chiapas, Mexico, July 23 – 28, 2017. Received the Student Poster Award for the best student poster of the conference.  

  4. *Rothenburger JL, Clifford CB, Leighton FA, Treuting PM, and Himsworth CG. Survey of respiratory pathology in wild urban Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus. American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) Annual Meeting, Montreal, Quebec, November 16-20, 2013. Received ACVP Young Investigator Award 2nd Place ($300, 2013).    

  5. *Rothenburger J, Himsworth CG, Zabek E, Tang P, Parsons KL, Koehn M, Jardine CM, Patrick, DM. Bacteria isolated from conspecific bite wounds in Norway and black rats: Implications for rat bite-associated infections in people. The 68th Annual International Conference on Diseases in Nature Communicable to Man, Calgary, Alberta, August 12-13, 2013.  

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