THE ROLE OF RATS AS RESERVOIR OF SOME INTERNAL PARASITES WITH POSSIBLE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS IN THE SUEZ CANAL AREA.

ABDEL-AAL, A. A.; ABOU-EISHA, A. M.

doi:10.21608/avmj.1997.183603

THE ROLE OF RATS AS RESERVOIR OF SOME INTERNAL PARASITES WITH POSSIBLE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS IN THE SUEZ CANAL AREA.

Document Type : Research article

Authors

10.21608/avmj.1997.183603

Abstract

A total of three hundred and ten rats of two common species, Rattus r. norvegicus and Rattus r. alexandrinus, were trapped from different localities of Ismailia and Port Said Governorates. The overall internal parasitic infestation rate was 73.5% (228 out of 310 rats). The infestation rates of different categories of the identified parasites were 37.7% of protozoa (13.2% of Trypanosoma lewisi, 8.1% of Eperythrozoon muris, 2.9% of Babesia microti and 17.4% of Cryptosporidium sp.); 53.5% of cestodes (40.6% of Hymenolepis diminuta, 4.8% of Hymenolepis nana and 9.03% of Cysticercus fasciolaris); 59.4 of nematodes (31.3% of Protospirura sp., 4.5% of Streptopharagus kuntzi; 2.5% of Strongyloides ratti, 11.9% of Syphacia obevelata, 19.03% of Syp < /em>hacia muris and 1.3% of Capillaria hepatica ); 3.2% of acanthocephala (Moniliformis moniliformis) and 0.3% of trematodes (Apophallus donicus). These findings confirm that rats in the investigated area have particular parasites which affect the public health.