Comparative Parasitology 67(2) 2000 - Peru State College

200 COMPARATIVE PARASITOLOGY, 67(2), JULY 2000
rats are more often purchased as pets. Surprisingly,
our results indicate that pet store rats constitute
a more important reservoir for H. nana
than do mice or hamsters. Also, this is the first
report of H. nana from a pet prairie dog, a nontraditional
or exotic animal that is becoming
common in pet stores (Storer and Watson, 1997).
Improper hygiene following handling of all rodents,
including feeders, may lead to transmission.
A pet ownership profile (Teclaw et al.,
1992) showed that approximately 50% of households,
primarily those with children between the
ages of 6-17 years, owned some type of pet.
Further, 2% of Florida AIDS patients interviewed
owned pet rodents, but most health care
providers failed to advise them of possible zoonoses
from their companion animals (Conti et
al., 1995).
Overall, 75% of surveyed pet stores were selling
animals infected with H. nana. Despite the
fact that H. nana infection in rodents is easily
treatable with praziquantel (Harkness and Wagner,
1995), none of the pet stores reported practicing
antihelmintic treatment and control measures.
The combination of high prevalence and
absence of control measures demonstrates that
pet rodents pose a zoonotic threat to pet store
personnel, animal care workers, and customers.
Surveys of human populations, together with
further epidemiological information, are needed
to assess the extent to which this potential health
threat is actually being realized.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded in part by an Interdisciplinary
Research Grant from Quinnipiac College.
Robin LePardo assisted in collecting fecal
samples. Kristen E. Richardson, Quinnipiac College,
assisted in the preparation of the manuscript.
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