Species composition of small mammal communities and prevalence of

Small mammals are an important part of the ecosystem and can serve as the definitive host of Schistosoma japonicum. The Poyang Lake region of Jiangxi Province is one of the most important endemic areas of schistosomiasis japonica in China. However, data on the prevalence of schistosomiasis in local small mammal communities are lacking. Therefore, from 2021 to 2022, we captured 409 small mammals in four townships in this region, with a total capture rate of 6.89% (409/5938). There were significant differences in the capture rate among different habitats (χ2 = 100.74, p < 0.001) and different sampling sites (χ2 = 100.74, p < 0.001), but there was no significant difference between sampling seasons (χ2 = 4.437, p = 0.109). Traditional morphology combined with molecular DNA-barcoding was effective in identifying species, and four species, Apodemus agrarius, Rattus losea, R. norvegicus and Crocidura attenuata were identified. PCR of the Sjr2 gene showed a total prevalence of S. japonicum of 2.85% (8/281) in A. agrarius and 2.83% (3/106) in R. losea. The species, sex, age, sampling sites, seasons, and habitats were not significant factors influencing the prevalence of S. japonicum in small mammals. This study revealed the molecular prevalence of S. japonicum in the wild small mammal community in the Poyang Lake region for the first time. Monitoring schistosomiasis prevalence in A. agrarius and R. losea may contribute to future elimination efforts around Poyang Lake.