%0 Journal Article
%T Prevalence of Calodium hepaticum and Cysticercus fasciolaris in Urban Rats and Their Histopathological Reaction in the Livers
%A Bharathalingam Sinniah
%A Muniandy Narasiman
%A Saequa Habib
%A Ong Gaik Bei
%J Journal of Veterinary Medicine
%D 2014
%R 10.1155/2014/172829
%X Humans can get infected with several zoonotic diseases from being in close contact with rats. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence and histopathological changes caused by Calodium hepaticum and Cysticercus fasciolaris in infected livers of wild caught urban rats. Of the 98 urban rats (Rattus rattus diardii and Rattus norvegicus) autopsied, 64.3% were infected; 44.9% were infected with Caladium hepatica, 39.3% were infected with Cysticercus fasciolaris, and 20.4% were infected with both parasites. High infection rates suggest that urban rats are common reservoir for both parasites, which are potentially a threat to man. Calodium hepaticum infections were identified by the presence of ova or adults in the liver parenchyma. They appear as yellowish white nodules, measuring 1¨C7£¿mm in diameter or in streaks scattered widely over the serosal surface of the liver. Cysticercus fasciolaris infections are recognized morphologically by their shape (round or oval) and are creamy white in colour. Histological studies of Calodium hepaticum showed areas of granulomatous lesions with necrotic areas around the dead ova and adults. In almost all cases, the rats appeared robust, looked healthy, and showed no visible signs of hepatic failure despite the fact that more than 64.0% of their livers were infected by either one or both parasites. 1. Introduction Rats are the most common and widespread of all mammals in the world, making it difficult to estimate their numbers, which probably run into the billions. They are responsible for the transmission of several zoonotic diseases to man, which include parasites and microbes. Man gets infected with many rodent pathogens primarily through bites, scratches, and the consumption of food or drinks contaminated with rodent droppings or urine. Besides transmitting diseases, they eat almost anything and destroy properties. Currently, most large cities and towns in developing and developed countries face a growing menace from the rat population. Rats are definitive host for Calodium hepaticum and intermediate host for Cysticercus fasciolaris. The nematode parasite Calodium hepaticum (syn. Capillaria hepatica, Bancroft, 1983) has a global distribution and is commonly reported in rodents [1, 2] and to a lesser extent in dogs [3, 4], cats [5], primates [6], and humans [5, 7¨C9]. Calodium hepaticum is a common parasite which infects rodents worldwide but rarely in humans. Currently 163 human cases of Calodium hepaticum (72 reports of hepatic capillariasis, 13 serologically confirmed infections, and 78 observations of spurious
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jvm/2014/172829/