Survey of Hymenolepis spp. in pet rodents in Italy

Abstract

We carried out the first survey of Hymenolepis spp. infection in pet rodents in Italy. Fresh fecal samples were collected from 172 pet rodents as follows: guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus; n = 60), squirrels (Callosciurus finlaysonii, Callosciurus prevosti, Tamias striatus, Tamias sibiricus, Sciurus calorinensis; n = 52), hamsters (Phodopus campbelli, Mesocricetus auratus; n = 30), chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera; n = 13), rats (Rattus norvegicus; n = 10), and mice (Mus minutoides; n = 7). These animals were housed either in pet shops or in private houses. All fecal samples were processed using the FLOTAC pellet technique to assess the number of eggs per gram (EPG) of feces. Eggs of Hymenolepis nana were found in 24 out of 172 (13.9 %; 95 % confidence interval = 9.3-20.2 %) pet rodents. Of those rodents, 41.6 % (10/24) were rats (mean EPG = 55.7; range = 2-200), 29.2 % (7/24) mice (mean EPG = 64.5; range = 32-120), 25.0 % (6/24) were chinchillas (mean EPG = 25.5; range = 10-50), and 4.2 % (1/24) hamsters (P. campbelli) (EPG = 86.0). In addition, Hymenolepis diminuta eggs were found in 2 out of 172 (1.2 %; 95 % confidence interval = 0.2-4.6 %) rodents examined, both of which (100 %; 2/2) were pet squirrels (C. prevosti) (mean EPG = 10; range = 4-16). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a natural infection of H. diminuta in pet squirrels.

Exotic Pet Trade as a Cause of Biological Invasions: The Case of Tree Squirrels of the Genus Callosciurus

“…Whether Callosciurus squirrels host zoonotic macroparasite needs further studies. In Italy, a case of two pet C. prevosti both infected with the cestode Hymenolepis diminuta, known also as rat tapeworm, was reported by d'Ovidio et al [143]. Only a few hundred cases of human infections by this species have been recorded, almost exclusively in children: although human hymenolepiasis is usually asymptomatic, sometimes severe symptoms occur (for details, see Reference [143]).…”

Morphological, Molecular, and Pathological Appraisal ofHymenolepis nana(Hymenolepididae) Infecting Laboratory Mice (Mus musculus)

“…This rate is considerably similar to that reported in the Belgrade area of Serbia (37%; Kataranovski et al, 2010) and the Tarai region of Uttarakhand (40–44%; Sharma et al, 2013). Conversely, it is higher than that reported in Korea (5%), the Philippines (19%; Fedorko, 1999), Grenada (16%; Coomansingh et al, 2009), Dhaka (27%; Gofur et al, 2010), Addis Ababa (7–27%; Gudissa et al, 2011), the Tabriz of Iran (4%; Garedaghi & Khaki, 2014), the suburban area of Hamadan City of Western Iran (17%; Yoisefi et al, 2014), Italy (29%; D'Ovidio et al, 2015), and the Heilongjiang Province of China (6–15%; Yang et al, 2017). It is also lower than the infection rate reported in Manila (64%; Tubangui, 1931), Japan (53%; Perec-Matysiak et al, 2006), Shiraz of Southern Iran (67%; Tanideh et al, 2010), the City of Aracaju in the Sergipe State of Brazil (67%; Guimarães et al, 2014), and Ahvaz of South-West Iran (63%; Rahdar et al, 2017).…”

Helminth parasites of Lemniscomys striatus (striped grass mouse) and Cricetomys gambianus (giant African rat) in Nsukka, Nigeria

“…Waugh et al [14] reported on the zoonotic potential of helminths of R. rattus and Rattus norvegicus from Jamaica, recording the presence of six nematodes, two cestodes and an acanthocephalan. Fuehrer [15] reported the occurrence of Capillaria and Hymenolepis in wild rats in the United Kingdom, while d'Ovidio et al [16] and Garedaghi and Khaki [17] also reported on the presence of Hymenolepis diminuta in gray squirrel from Indiana and Hymenolepis species in captured rodents in Iran, respectively.…”