Capillaria hepatica is a zoonotic nematode that uses rodents and other
mammals as hosts, especially rats and mice, and causes hepatic granuloma and eventually
fibrosis/cirrhosis. However, C. hepatica infection in nutria, a large
semiaquatic rodent, has rarely been reported, and histopathologic features of the
infection have not been described in detail. We conducted necropsy on 36 wild nutrias.
Some animals were found to have milky spots, parasitic eggs and worms within hepatic
microgranuloma involving central calcification with cell debris, macrophages, eosinophils
and multinucleated giant cells (MGCs). Interestingly, the eggs were closely surrounded by
MGCs and appeared to be destroyed without inducing further chronic changes. Based on
microscopical examination, C. hepatica infection was diagnosed, and we
describe its histopathological characteristics in wild nutrias.
A total of 44 adult or juvenile nutrias were necropsied for disease survey. A large nodule was found in the liver of a nutria. The histopathological specimen of the hepatic nodule was microscopically examined, and sectional worms were found in the bile duct. The worms showed a tegument with spines, highly branches of vitelline glands and intestine. Finally, we histopathologically confirmed fascioliasis in a wild nutria. In the present study, a case of fascioliasis in a wild nutria is first confirmed in Korea.
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