title: Surveillance of endoparasitic infections and the first report of Physaloptera sp. and Sarcocystis spp. in farm rodents and shrews in central Taiwan.
abstract: A total of 95 rodents and shrews including 82 Rattus norvegicus, 7 Rattus rattus, and 6 Suncus murinus were trapped from different localities of Taichung, Taiwan. The overall prevalence of parasites was 93.7%. The infection rates for R. norvegicus, R. rattus, and S. murinus were 93.9%, 85.7%, and 100%, respectively. The rats were infected with four cestodes, Taenia taeniaeformis (48.4%), Hymenolepis diminuta (38.9%), Hymenolepis nana (5.3%), and Raillietina celebensis (45.3%); ten nematodes, Angiostrongylus cantonensis (16.8%), Capillaria hepatica (49.5%), Gongylonema neoplasticum (1.1%), Heterakis spumosa (35.8%), Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (57.9%), Physaloptera sp. (1.1%), Strongyloides ratti (81.1%), Syphacia muris (2.1%), Trichosomoides crassicauda (29.5%), and Trichurus sp. (1.1%), and one protozoan, Sarcocystis spp. (33.7%). Physaloptera sp. from S. murinus and Sarcocystis spp. from both R. norvegicus and R. rattus were reported for the first time in Taiwan. The importances of zoonotic species were discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuo-Kuuang Road, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kwong-Chung
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.forename: Fun-Chun
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: Cheng-Hsiung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chi-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Wei-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kai-Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Cheng-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002589:Cestoda; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D051381:Rats; D012522:Sarcocystis; D012788:Shrews; D013151:Spiruroidea; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology