Helminths of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) (Berkenhout, 1769) in the city of Palermo, Italy

AbstractA helminthological survey was performed on 143 brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the city of Palermo (Italy). The overall prevalence of helminth infection was 98.60 %. The following parasites were found: Brachylaima sp. (prevalence 8.39 %) (Trematoda); Taenia taeniaeformis larvae (11.89 %), Rodentolepis nana (13.29 %), Hymenolepis diminuta (24.48 %) (Cestoda); Gongylonema sp., (4.90 %), Syphacia muris (8.39 %), Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (18.88 %), Eucoleus gastricus (30.07 %), Mastophorus muris (30.77 %), Capillaria hepatica (54.55 %), Heterakis spumosa (82.52 %) (Nematoda) and one acanthocephalan (0.70 %). The species found in males were also present in females, with the exception of the acanthocephalan. No significant differences were found between males and females in prevalence (P%) or mean infection intensity (MI). However, a significant correlation between both P% and MI, as well as host age, was observed in some helminth species. Hosts were infected by one to six helminth species (median = 3). This is the first report from Sicily of helminths in R. norvegicus.

Download Full-text

Helminth communities and host-parasite relationships in argentine brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Helminthologia ◽

10.2478/s11687-008-0024-1 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 126-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

I. Gomez Villafañe ◽

M. Robles ◽

M. Busch

Keyword(s):

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Parasite Fauna ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis ◽

Intensity Of Infection ◽

Mean Intensity ◽

Poultry Farms ◽

Syphacia Muris ◽

The Mean

AbstractThe aims of this research were: 1) to determine the helminth parasite fauna of seventy two Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) individuals inhabiting poultry farms in the Pampean region of Argentina; 2) to examine the relationship between parasitism and individual characteristics of the hosts, and 3) to analyze the associations among helminths. The study was carried out in twenty-four poultry farms from autumn 2000 to winter 2001. Nematodes were found in the intestine or caecum rectum of the 74 % of rats and cestodes were found along all the intestine of the 28 % of rats. Heterakis spumosa (Travassos 1914) was a central species, whereas Syphacia muris, Yamaguti 1941, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Travassos 1914) and Hymenolepis diminuta (Rudolphi 1819) were satellite species. Helminths do not affect rat survival and growth of rats. Rats parasitized with H. spumosa and H. diminuta were larger and older than non-parasitized rats. The intensity of infection with H. spumosa significantly increased with rat age. Rats parasitized with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis and Syphacia muris did not differ in size and age with respect to non-parasitized ones. The mean intensity of infections per host was 33.74, 74.28, higher than 200, and 3.10 for H. spumosa, S. muris, N. brasiliensis and H. diminuta, respectively. The mean intensity of infection with H. spumosa was higher in summer than in the other seasons, while the higher mean intensity of infection with N. brasiliensis and S. muris occurred in autumn. Infections with Heterakis spumosa and Syphacia muris, and with Syphacia muris and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis were independent; while Heterakis spumosa and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis were negatively associated.

Download Full-text

Lead concentrations in Hymenolepis diminuta adults and Taenia taeniaeformis larvae compared to their rat hosts (Rattus norvegicus) sampled from the city of Cairo, Egypt

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182003003901 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 127 (5) ◽

pp. 483-487 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

B. SURES ◽

T. SCHEIBLE ◽

A. R. BASHTAR ◽

H. TARASCHEWSKI

Keyword(s):

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Rat Kidney ◽

Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Contaminated Site ◽

Bioconcentration Factors ◽

Metal Levels ◽

Lead Levels ◽

Taenia Taeniaeformis ◽

The City

Concentrations of lead, determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, were compared between the cestodes Hymenolepis diminuta and Taenia taeniaeformis and its host rat (Rattus norvegicus). Rats were sampled at 2 sites, which differed in respect to lead pollution as quantified from road dust, adjacent to the city of Cairo, Egypt. Comparing lead levels among host tissues and the parasites the significantly highest accumulation was found in H. diminuta, followed by rat kidney and larvae of T. taeniaeformis. Calculation of bioconcentration factors showed that H. diminuta contained 36-, 29-, 6- and 6-fold higher lead levels than intestinal wall, liver, kidney and larvae of T. taeniaeformis, at the more polluted site. At the less contaminated site lead bioconcentration factors for H. diminuta were found to be 87, 87 and 11 referred to intestine, liver and kidney of the host. Due to a high variability of the lead concentrations in H. diminuta it was not possible to indicate differences in metal pollution between both sampling sites. This variability may be influenced by different age structures of cestode infrapopulations. It is likely that younger worms contain lower metal levels than older worms due to a shorter exposure period. Thus, it is necessary to standardize the sampling of worms which should be used for indication purposes. Due to a lack of adequate sentinel species in terrestrial habitats more studies are required to validate and standardize the use of helminths as accumulation bioindicators in order to obtain mean values with low standard deviations. The host–parasite system rat–H. diminuta appears to be a useful and promising bioindication system at least for lead in urban ecosystems as rats as well as the tapeworm are globally distributed and easily accessible.

Download Full-text

Endoparasitic Infection in Laboratory Rat Strain, Long-Evans (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769)

Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research ◽

10.3329/bjsir.v44i1.2718 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 109-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Farhana Muznebin ◽

Hamida Khanum ◽

Zaibun Nessa ◽

Dipa Islam

Keyword(s):

Key Words ◽

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Helminth Parasite ◽

New Finding ◽

Syphacia Muris ◽

Rat Strain ◽

Long Evans ◽

Taxonomic Groups

In the present study, five helminth parasite species from two taxonomic groups were identified from Long-Evans (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769). The cestodes were Vampirolepis nana Siebold, Hymenolepis diminuta Rud and nematodes were Citellina dispar Prendel, Heterakis spumosa Schneider and Syphacia muris Yamaguti. C. dispar is a new finding in Bangladesh. The highest prevalence of H. diminuta was recorded but the highest intensity was recorded in V. nana. The prevalence and intensity of V. nana was 56.25% and 65.11±13.23; H. dimisnuta was 72.92% and 4.37±0.89; C. dispar was 62.50% and 19.63 ±2.10; H. spumosa was 66.67% and 9.06±1.85; and S. muris was 64.58% and 24.65±2.60 respectively. Differences in prevalence and intensity due to sexes and seasons were also evaluated. Key words: Cestodes, Nematodes, Helminth, Prevalence, Intensity. doi: 10.3329/bjsir.v44i1.2718 Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 44(1), 109-116, 2009

Download Full-text

Research Note. Occurrence of gastrointestinal helminths in commensal rodents from Tabasco, Mexico

Helminthologia ◽

10.1515/helm-2017-0014 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (2) ◽

pp. 170-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

N. Cigarroa-Toledo ◽

Y. De Los Santos-Martinez ◽

C. V. Zaragoza-Vera ◽

M. M. Garcia-Rodriguez ◽

C. M. Baak-Baak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rattus Rattus ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis ◽

Gastrointestinal Helminths ◽

Trichuris Muris ◽

Heligmosomoides Polygyrus ◽

Syphacia Muris ◽

Commensal Rodents ◽

Syphacia Obvelata ◽

Moniliformis Moniliformis

Summary The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and species composition of helminths in commensal rodents captured inside private residences in the city of Villahermosa in Tabasco, Mexico. Trapping was performed at each house for three consecutive nights from October to December 2015. Fifty commensal rodents were captured: 23 Rattus norvegicus, 16 Mus musculus and 11 Rattus rattus. Rodents were transported alive to the laboratory and held in cages until they defecated. Feces were analyzed for helminth eggs using the Sheather’s flotation technique. The overall prevalence of helminths in rodents was 60 %: R. norvegicus was more likely to be parasitized (87.0 %) than R. rattus (63.6 %) and M. musculus (18.8 %). Eggs from at least 13 species of helminths were identified: Hymenolepis diminuta, Rodentolepis nana, Moniliformis moniliformis, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, Heterakis spumosa, Mastophorus muris, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Strongyloides ratti, Syphacia obvelata, Syphacia muris, Toxocara sp., Trichosomoides crassicauda, and Trichuris muris. This is the first study to report the presence of H. polygyrus, S. ratti and T. crassicauda in commensal rodents in Mexico. In conclusion, our results suggest that helminths commonly infect commensal rodents in Villahermosa and therefore rodents present a health risk to inhabitants in this region.

Download Full-text

Habitat preferences and distribution of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus Berk.) in the city of Salzburg (Austria): implications for an urban rat management

Journal of Pest Science ◽

10.1007/s10340-006-0123-z ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 79 (3) ◽

pp. 113-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Doris Traweger ◽

Rita Travnitzky ◽

Cornelia Moser ◽

Christian Walzer ◽

Guenther Bernatzky

Keyword(s):

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Brown Rat ◽

The City

Download Full-text

Helminth fauna of Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769 from the Belgrade area, Serbia

Archives of Biological Sciences ◽

10.2298/abs1004091k ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 1091-1100 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

D. Kataranovski ◽

Milena Kataranovski ◽

Isidora Deljanin

Keyword(s):

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Intestinal Parasites ◽

Helminth Fauna ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Multiple Infections ◽

Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis ◽

Trichuris Muris ◽

Age Related ◽

Parasite Infections ◽

Norway Rats

The aims of this study were to provide baseline knowledge about intestinal parasites in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) that inhabit the Belgrade area, and to analyze the associations among helminths. Of 302 trapped rats, 52% were females and 48% males, with 39% and approx. 37% of juvenile-subadult individuals, per sex, respectively. The following parasites were detected (with their respective prevalence): Cestoda - Hymenolepis diminuta (30.46%) and Rodentolepis fraterna (12.58%); Nematoda - Heterakis spumosa (36.75%), Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (16.22%), Capillaria sp. (5.96%), Trichuris muris (5.96%), Syphacia muris (4.30%) and Strongylus sp. larvae (0.33%). Flukes (Trematoda) were not recorded. Of all examined rats, 68.54% were found to harbor at least one parasite species, with higher prevalence in male hosts and in adult individuals. There were no age-related differences in the prevalence of infection with individual helminth species. Multiple infections occurred with up to four species per rat showing different combinations of parasite infections. These are the first records of the gastrointestinal helminth fauna of Norway rats in Serbia.

Download Full-text

Helminth fauna of bovines from the Central-Western region, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Ciência Rural ◽

10.1590/s0103-84782010005000040 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 934-938 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Thaís Rabelo dos Santos ◽

Welber Daniel Zanetti Lopes ◽

Carolina Buzulini ◽

Fernando de Almeida Borges ◽

Cláudio Alessandro Massamitsu Sakamoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infection Intensity ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Western Region ◽

Mixed Breed ◽

Minas Gerais State ◽

Parasitic Load ◽

Males And Females ◽

The Mean ◽

Haemonchus Placei

Seventy-six naturally infected bovines, males and females of mixed breed, aged 8 to 12 months-old, were necropsied. The results of necropsy revealed the presence of 9 helminth genera and 16 species, with the following prevalence and mean infection intensity: Haemonchus placei (100.0%; 3895.5); Haemonchus similis (29.0%; 159.6); Cooperia punctata (100.0%; 5595.0); Cooperia spatulata (32.9%; 137.8); Cooperia pectinata (34.2%; 1010.5); Trichostrongylus axei (69.7%; 239.2); Trichostrongylus colubriformis (10.5%; 10.8); Trichostrongylus longyspicularis (2.6%; 0.5); Ostertagia ostertagi (2.6%; 3.1); Ostertagia lyrata (2.6%; 1.5); Ostertagia trifurcata (1.3%; 0.3); Oesophagostomum radiatum (94.7%; 470.9); Trichuris discolor (47.4%; 32.5); Strongyloides papillosus (1.3%; 0.1); Capillaria bovis (9.2%; 1.0) and Bunostomum phlebotomum (2.6%; 0.3). The mean parasitic load was 11,558.5 helminths per bovine. Of the 76 necropsied bovine, 92.1% were infected by 3 to 7 helminth species. Only 7.9% of hosts were parasitized by 8 different helminth species. This study includes the first report of the species Ostertagia lyrata and Ostertagia trifurcata in Minas Gerais state. It should be emphasized that while identifying the helminths collected during necropsy in the present work, observation revealed that an inversion in the mean parasitic intensity is occurring, showing diminishing numbers of Cooperia and an increase in Haemonchus compared to the values reported in the literature.

Download Full-text

Nematode and Cestode Prevalence, Organal Distribution and Histological Effects Due to Parasitic Infection in Laboratory Rat Strain, Long-Evans (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769)

Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research ◽

10.3329/bjsir.v44i2.3673 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 207-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hamida Khanum ◽

Farhana Muznebin ◽

Zaibun Nessa

Keyword(s):

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Parasitic Infection ◽

Intestinal Wall ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Histopathological Study ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Laboratory Rat ◽

Syphacia Muris ◽

Long Evans ◽

Taxonomic Groups

Endoparasitic infection and histopathological effects in the laboratory rat, Long-Evans (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout 1769) was evaluated. Five species of helminth parasites from two taxonomic groups were identified. They were -Cestodes (Vampirolepis nana Siebold, 1852 and Hymenolepis diminuta Rudolphi, 1819) and Nematodes (Citellina dispar Prendel, 1928; Heterakis spumosa Schneider, 1866 and Syphacia muris Yamaguti, 1941). All the worms were collected from the alimentary tract of the Long-Evans. The prevalence of infection was found highest in caecum (95.83%) and the intensity of infestation was found highest in anterior parts of the intestine (51.33±10.63). The histopathological study of helminth infected alimentary canal showed that the intestinal wall was severely damaged. Key words: Nematodes, Cestodes, Prevalence, Vampirolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Citellina dispar, Heterakis spumosa and Syphacia muris. DOI: 10.3329/bjsir.v44i2.3673 Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 44(2), 207-210, 2009

Download Full-text

New host, geographical records, and factors affecting the prevalence of helminths infection from synanthropic rodents in Yucatán, Mexico

Helminthologia ◽

10.1515/helm-2017-0030 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 231-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J. A. Panti-May ◽

E. Palomo-Arjona ◽

Y. Gurubel-González ◽

M. A. Torres-Castro ◽

V. M. Vidal-Martínez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rattus Rattus ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Urban Site ◽

Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis ◽

Rural Settlements ◽

New Host ◽

Trichuris Muris ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Syphacia Muris ◽

Syphacia Obvelata

SummaryThe aim of this paper was to study the occurrence of helminths inMus musculusandRattus rattusfrom urban, suburban and rural settlements in Yucatán, Mexico; and to analyse the host factors (e.g. sex) related to helminths’ distribution. Helminths in a total of 279 rodents were surveyed by visual examination of the liver for metacestodes and faecal examination for helminth eggs using the formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique. The cestodesHydatigera taeniaeformis(metacestodes detected in the liver) andHymenolepis diminuta,and the nematodesAspiculurissp.,Nippostrongylus brasiliensis,Syphacia muris,Syphacia obvelata, andTrichuris muriswere identified. InM. musculus, the prevalence of infection withT. murisandH. taeniaeformiswas higher in the rural village compared to those in the suburban neighbourhood. ForR. rattus, a higher prevalence of infection withH. diminutawas found in the urban site compared to that in the suburban site. This study reports the occurrence ofH. diminutaamong rodents living in close proximity to humans, representing a potential public health risk. In addition, this survey increases our understanding of dynamic transmission among intestinal helminths recorded in Yucatán, Mexico.

Download Full-text

First record of Calodium hepaticum and Taenia taeniaeformis liver infection in wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Serbia

Archives of Biological Sciences ◽

10.2298/abs1002431k ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 431-440 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Milena Kataranovski ◽

Lidija Zolotarevski ◽

Sandra Belij ◽

Ivana Mirkov ◽

Jelena Stosic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rattus Norvegicus ◽

Geographic Area ◽

First Record ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Total Prevalence ◽

New Information ◽

Calodium Hepaticum ◽

Taenia Taeniaeformis ◽

Norway Rats ◽

Liver Infection

The nematode Calodium hepaticum and the cestode Taenia taeniaeformis are zoonotic helminths primarly found in the liver of common wild rats. Most reports on these helminth species with cosmopolitan distribution are from Asia, and there is paucity of data for Europe. Wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from urban and suburban habitats of the Belgrade area were examined for the presence of Calodium hepaticum and Taenia taeniaeformis larvae liver infections. The presence of visible cysts and a histomorphology of parasite-related inflammatory liver responses were sought as signs of infection. The total prevalence of infection was 10.9% (C. hepaticum) and 29.9% (T. taeniaeformis), with no differences between the sexes. No difference in the annual prevalence of both helminth species was noted. Data obtained in this study provide new information relevant to wild Norway rats as sources of C. hepaticum and T. taeniaeformis liver infection in this geographic area, and, in a wider context, in Europe. .

Download Full-text