| Rodents, abundant in numbers and widespread in presence, can infect and transmit several zoonotic virus, bacteria and parasites that threaten to the health of humans and domestic animals. Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Strobilocercus, Capillaria hepatica,Trichinella spiralis, Syphacia obvelata, Aspiculuris tetraptera, Strognyloides stercoralis were the common zoonotic parasites in rodents.To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in pet chinchillas, the Sheather's sugar flotation, modified acid-fast staining and Lugol's iodine-solution staining methods were used to examine the faecal samples of chinchillas in a pet market in Zhengzhou city. A total of 96 fresh faecal specimens were examined and two protozoan species(Giardia spp., coccidia) and one helminth species(Hymenolepis nana) were found.The overall infection rate was 46.9%. Giardia spp. had the highest prevalence (37.5%),followed by coccidia (8.3%) and Hymenolepis nana (2.1%),respectively. No statistical significance was found between the infection rate of Giardia and the age (P>0.05) and gender (P>0.05). This is the first report of intestinal parasites in pet chinchillas in China. Pet chinchillas may infect and spread several zoonotic parasites, and increased awareness of their potential threat to public health is necessary.To understand the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in pet hamsters. The Sheather's sugar flotation, modified acid-fast staining and Lugol's iodine-solution staining methods were used to check four species pet hamsters(Mesocricetus auratus, Phodopus sungorus, Phodopus campbelli and Phodopus roborovskii) from a pet-market in Zhengzhou. A total of 153 fecal specimens were examined and eight parasite species were discovered, namely, Cryptosporidium sp.,Giardia sp.,coccidia, Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Syphacia spp., Aspiculuris tetraptera and an undetermined Trichurata nematode. The positive rates of these parasites in fecal speciments were 15.0%,22.2%,2.0%,31.4%,25.5%,41.8%,7.2% and 1.8.3%,respectively. The overall positive rate was 84.3% and that of helminthes was 71.9%. The rate of mixed infection was 54.9%. Phodopus sungorus and Phodopus campbelli are the hosts of Cryptospioridium.Pet hamsters may infect and transmit several zoonotic parasitic diseases.In order to understand the endoparasitic infection rate in wild rats,91 wild rats (58 Rattus norvegicus and 33 R. tanezumi) trapped from Zhengzhou and Longyan were examined by the Sheather's sugar flotation, modified acid-fast staining and Lugol's iodine-solution staining. Two species parasites in tissue and organ(Capillaria hepatica and Strobilocercus) and 12 species intestinal parasites(Cryptosporidium sp., Giardia sp., Coccidia, Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Syphacia spp.,Aspiculuris tetraptera, Trichuris trichura, Ascaris sp., Strongylida sp., Strongyloidia sp., Hookworm) were detected. The overall infection rate was 69.2% and the mixed infection rate was 44%. The infection rate of R. tanezumi was 66.6%, the mixed infection rate was 30.3%; the infection rate of R. norvegicus was 74.1%,the mixed infection rate was 51.7%. Coccidia was the most common parasite in the two species rats, with the prevalence of 36.4% and 62.1%.Cryptosporidium was the most common pathogen in R. tanezumi, with a prevalence of 18.2%. Strongylida and Capillaria hepatica were the most common parasite in R. norvegicus, with 34.5% and 31%,respectively. The prevalence of parasite in wild rats was distinctly correlated with the age. The results showed that wild rats could infect several zoonotic parasites.To understand the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infections in rodents in China and to assess the potential role of rodents as a source for human cryptosporidiosis,723 specimens from 18 rodent species in China were examined between August 2007 and December 2008 by microscopy after Sheather's sugar flotation and modified acid-fast staining. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 83 specimens, with an overall prevalence of 11.5%. Phodopus sungorus, Phodopus campbelli, and Rattus tanezumi were new reported hosts of Cryptosporidium.The genotypes and subtypes of all the Cryptosporidium microscopy-positive specimens were further identified by PCR and sequence analysis of the small subunit rRNA and the 60 kDa glycoprotein (pg60) genes. In addition to C. parvum, C. muris, C. andersoni, C. wrairi, ferret genotype and mouse genotypeâ… , four new Cryptosporidium genotypes were identified, including the hamster genotype, chipmunk genotypeâ…¢, and rat genotypesâ…¡andâ…¢.Mixed Cryptosporidium species/genotypes were found in 10.8% of Cryptosporidium-positive specimens. Sequences analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein gene showed that C. parvum in pet Siberian chipmunks and hamsters were all of the subtypeâ…¡dA15Gl,which was found previously in a human case in Netherlands and lambs in Spain.The gp60 subtype sequences of C. wrairi, ferret genotype, and mouse genotype I isolated in this study were also obtained.These findings suggest that pet rodents may be important reservoirs of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species and subtypes.This study reveals that rodents infect some zoontic parasites commonly; rodents can infect zoonotic Cryptosporidium species/genotypes and subtypes, thus, rodonts may play a role of the zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium. |
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