Surveillance of endoparasitic infections and the first report of Physaloptera sp. and Sarcocystis spp. in farm rodents and shrews in central Taiwan.
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.
Tung
Kwong-Chung
KC
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuo-Kuuang Road, Taichung, Taiwan.
Hsiao
Fun-Chun
FC
Yang
Cheng-Hsiung
CH
Chou
Chi-Chung
CC
Lee
Wei-Ming
WM
Wang
Kai-Sung
KS
Lai
Cheng-Hung
CH
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