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Wildlife communities are positively affected by ecological restoration and reforestation. Understanding the dynamics of mammal communities along a gradient of a human-dominated habitat to a protected habitats, right up to a reforestation habitat, is crucial for assessing the effects of reforestation on conservation biology and disease ecology. We used data obtained from a set of camera traps and live traps implemented in the “Spillover Interface” project. A network analysis showed that the reforested area was central in the sharing of mammal species between human-dominated habitats, such as plantations, and the protected area. A network analysis also confirmed the centrality of the domestic dog and the rodent Rattus tanezumi (R. tanezumi) in shared habitats and the co-occurrence with other mammal species. This rodent species was previously mentioned as a bridge species between habitats favouring disease transmission. This study is a first step to identify potential reservoirs and habitat interfaces associated with the risk of zoonotic diseases and pathogen spillover.

Rural areas usually show a higher prevalence of rickettsial infection than urban areas. However, information on the rickettsial infection status in urban settings (e.g., built-up areas and city parks) is still limited, particularly in the Bangkok metropolitan area. In this study, we performed a molecular rickettsial survey of spleen samples of small mammals caught in public parks and built-up areas of Bangkok. Out of 198 samples, the Rattus rattus complex was found to be most prevalent. The amplification of rickettsial gltA fragment gene (338 bp) by nested PCR assay revealed positive results in four samples, yielding a low prevalence of infection of 2.02%. DNA sequencing results confirmed that three samples were matched with Rickettsia typhi, and one was identified as R. felis. It is noteworthy that this is the first report of the occurrence of R. felis DNA in rodents in Southeast Asia.