Rodents harbouring zoonotic pathogens take advantage of abandoned land in post‐Katrina New Orleans

Leptospirosis is a disease that disproportionately affects impoverished urban communities, but likely to become more prevalent as changing climate alters flooding regimes. The persistence and transmission of the Leptospira pathogen reliant on small vertebrate animals, predominantly rodents. In this issue Molecular Ecology, Peterson et al. demonstrate how changes in rodent diversity abundances across complex mosaic abandonment recovery investment post-Katrina New Orleans can predict zoonotic infection prevalence. Understanding ecological conditions support pathogens ecosystems, where they are most affect humans, critical effective monitoring prevention.