Comparative Parasitology 67(2) 2000 - Peru State College

198 uuMKAKAiIVt, rAKAsuOLOuY, 6/(2), JULY 2000
Table 1. Results of cage sampling for Hymenolepis nana using fecal flotation.
Host species
Domestic spiny mouse (Heteromyidae)
Long-tailed chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigcra Molina, 1782)
Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus Ord, 1815)
Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus Linnaeus, 1758)
Domestic mouse (Mus tnusculus Linnaeus, 1758)
Ferret (Mustelaputoriusfa.ro Linnaeus, 1758)
Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus Milne-Edwards, 1867)
European rabbit (Oryctolagux cuniculus Linnaeus, 1758)
Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus Pallus, 1773)
Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769)
:i: Overall prevalence of infected cages was 9.1%.
t A total of 5 individual prairie dogs was surveyed from the 2 cage samples.
:i: Hymenolepis dirninuta eggs were also detected in the cage sample.
sters showed prevalences of 66% and 44% respectively.
Pet stores are traditionally implicated as potential
sources of human parasite infections, but
emphasis is centered upon feline, canine, or avian
species rather than rodents. However, H.
nana is a common zoonosis of pet rodents (Chomel,
1992), and in 1969 infection was detected
in Mongolian gerbils purchased as pets from a
department store (Lussier and Loew, 1970). Given
that children have less than optimal hygiene
habits, and immune-compromised individuals,
such as those with the acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS) or undergoing cancer
treatment, are at greater risk for disease (Gerba
et al., 1996), pet rodent infections raise obvious
public health concerns. Additionally, there is a
lack of survey data addressing the assumption
that golden hamsters are more often parasitized
with H. nana than are other rodents (Chomel,
1992; Teclaw et al., 1992). The purpose of this
study was to assess health risks associated with
human and rodent interaction as they pertain to
H. nana, through a survey of small animals sold
by pet stores in southern Connecticut.
Materials and Methods
Once a week for 4 weeks beginning in July 1999, a
fecal survey was conducted on all small animal cages
from 3 pet stores. Samples of 5-10 fecal pellets were
collected from the bedding of cages housing grouped
animals and analyzed by fecal flotation (Hendrix,
1998). A total of 110 cage samples was obtained from
representatives of 11 domesticated small animal species
(Table 1).
Based on the findings from fecal analysis of small
No. of cage
samples
3
6
2
19
18
30
3
7
11
1
22$
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington
Samples ( + )
for H. nana
0
0
1
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
3
Cage
prevalence
(%)*
0
0
sot
0
0
20
0
0
0
0
14
animal cages, individual rodents were purchased from
9 different pet stores not included in the fecal survey,
and a postmortem examination of the intestinal tract
of each rodent was performed. Necropsy was conducted
on a total of 38 rats, 39 golden hamsters, and
72 domestic mice. Animals were killed by CO2 narcosis,
and the small intestine, from the pyloric sphincter
to the ileocecal juncture, was removed, placed in a
Petri dish of tap water, and opened longitudinally.
Worms were removed and counted. Representative
specimens were stained, mounted, and deposited in the
United States National Museum Parasite Collection in
Beltsville, Maryland, U.S.A. (USNPC No. 089330.00).
Results
Fecal analysis showed that 9.1% of cages
housed infected animals, with animals from 1
pet store testing positive for 3 of 4 weeks. Domestic
mice and Norway rats exhibited prevalences
of 30.0% and 13.6%, respectively. One
of 2 black-tailed prairie dog cage samples revealed
H. nana. All other species, including
golden hamsters, were negative by fecal flotation
analysis (Table 1).
Necropsy results of purchased animals revealed
that 7 of 9 pet stores were selling infected
rats, domestic mice, and/or golden hamsters.
Prevalence was highest in rats (31.6%), with
mean intensity (MI) of 66 worms per host.
Mouse prevalence was lower at 22.2% (MI =
15), and only 4 golden hamsters (10.3%) were
infected (MI = 15). One rat was infected with
Hymenolepis dirninuta Rudolphi, 1819 (Table 2).
Discussion
Rodents typically remained in pet stores approximately
7-10 days. The prepatent period for