Assessment of the Endoparasite Fauna amongst the Rodents in Kurdistan Province, West of Iran

Ali  Mohammadi; Arezoo Bozorgomid; Mohammad Mehdi  Sedaghat; GholamReza Mowlavi; Mohammad Reza  Abai; Ehsan  Mostafavi

doi:10.18502/ijpa.v17i1.9018

Ali Mohammadi Department of Medical Entomology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Arezoo Bozorgomid Infectious Diseases Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Mohammad Mehdi Sedaghat Department of Medical Entomology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
GholamReza Mowlavi Infectious Diseases Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Mohammad Reza Abai Department of Medical Entomology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ehsan Mostafavi National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infection Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Hamadan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijpa.v17i1.9018

Keywords: Rodent; Endoparasite; Iran

Abstract

Background: We aimed to evaluate the rate of infection by endoparasites amongst rodents in the western regions of Iran to enhance the level of knowledge amongst health authorities in this entity.

Methods: This study was conducted in the west and southwest of Kurdistan Province, including the cities of Sanandaj, Marivan, and Sarvabad. The field mission of this work was performed in three seasons’ spring, summer, and autumn. The rodents were captured alive and their gastrointestinal tracts were evaluated for the worm endoparasites.

Results: Herein, 208 rodents from 15 types of seven species, including Apodemus, Meriones, Mus, Sciurus, Cricetulus, Microtus, and Dryomys, were captured. In addition, 67 (32.21%) rodents were infected with endoparasites and 10 types of worms endoparasites, including Syphacia muris, Streptophagus spp., Mastophorus muris, Skrjabinema spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Trichuris muris, Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis dimimuta, Heligmosomoide spp., and other oxiuros were isolated from their gastrointestinal tracts. Most of these parasites (60%) were isolated from their small intestine whereas they were least (10%) found in their stomach and cecum.

Conclusion: Having compared the results of this study with other studies in different regions of Iran, there is a higher variety of rodents and worm parasites in these regions of Iran.