Korean J Parasitol.  2014 Aug;52(4):419-423. 10.3347/kjp.2014.52.4.419.

Intestinal Helminthic Infections in Striped Field Mice, Apodemus agrarius, from Two Southern Regions of Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Health Science, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju 660-751, Korea. wmsohn@gnu.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Microbiology, Jeollanam-do Institute of Health and Environment, Gwangju 502-810, Korea.
  • 3Department of Microbiology, Gyeongsangnam-do Institute of Health and Environment, Changwon 641-825, Korea.

Abstract

The present study was performed to know the infection status of intestinal helminths in a most common species of field mice, Apodemus agrarius, from 2 southern regions of Korea. Total 133 and 103 mice were collected by the mouse trap in Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do and Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do, respectively, from July 2005 to June 2006. The small intestine of each mouse was resected and longitudinally opened with a pair of scissors. The intestinal contents were washed with 0.85% saline until the supernatant became clear. Helminths were collected with naked eyes or under a stereomicroscope from the sediment of the intestinal content. More than 11 species of helminths (4 nematode spp., 5 trematode spp., and 2 cestode spp.) were recovered. Among these, heligmosomoid nematodes (97.5%) was the most highly and heavily infected species. As the members of trematodes, Plagiorchis muris, Brachylaima sp., Echinostoma hortense, Echinostoma cinetorchis, and unidentified echinostome larvae were found in the small intestines of 35 (14.8%), 12 (5.1%), 6 (2.5%), 1 (0.4%), and 1 (0.4%) mice respectively. Two species of tapeworms, Hymenolepis nana and Hymenolepis diminuta were also detected in 79 (33.5%) and 21 (8.9%) mice, respectively. Conclusively, heligmosomoid nematodes were the most prevalent (dominant) species among more than 11 helminth species detected, and Brachylaima sp. fluke is newly added in the list of intestinal trematodes in Korea.

Keyword

Intestinal helminth; striped field mouse; Apodemus agrarius; southern region of Korea

MeSH Terms

Animals
Helminthiasis/epidemiology/parasitology
Helminths/*classification/*isolation & purification
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary
Korea/epidemiology
Murinae/*parasitology
Prevalence
Rodent Diseases/*epidemiology/parasitology
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