TY - JOUR
T1 - Intestinal parasites and anthelmintic treatments in a laboratory colony of wild-caught african pouched rats (cricetomys ansorgei)
AU - Cullin, Cassandra O.
AU - Sellers, Matthew S.
AU - Rogers, Erin R.
AU - Scott, Kathleen E.
AU - Lee, Danielle N.
AU - Ophir, Alexander G.
AU - Jackson, Todd A.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Carl Gedon, Dr Eileen Johnson (National Center for Veterinary Parasitology), and Dr Grant Rezabek (Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory) for their assistance with the project. We also thank Erika Mudrak (Cornell Statistical Consulting Unit) for assistance running our GEE models. This project was made possible through funding provided by the Department of Defense Army Research Office to AGO (proposal no. 59156-LS).
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2017 by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.
PY - 2017/10
Y1 - 2017/10
N2 - African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys spp.) are large rodents native to subSaharan Africa. Wild-caught pouched rats identified as Cricetomys ansorgei (n = 49) were imported from Tanzania. A survey of gastrointestinal parasitism by fecal flotation revealed the presence of multiple parasites, including Nippostrongylus spp., Heterakis spp., Trichuris spp., Hymenolepis spp., Raillietina spp., and Eimeria spp. Oral self-administered fenbendazole (150 ppm), topical moxidectin (2 mg/kg), pyrantel pamoate (15 mg/kg), piperazine (100 mg/kg daily), and injectable ivermectin (0.25 mg/kg) were used to determine effective treatment options for the gastrointestinal parasites present in the colony. Pyrantel pamoate in a treat vehicle and piperazine in water bottles were easily administered and significantly reduced the numbers of animals shedding Nippostrongylus spp. and Heterakis spp. during the study. Moxidectin and ivermectin were clinically ineffective at reducing fecal egg shedding. Fenbendazole was most effective at clearing infection with Trichuris spp. Although 10 mg/kg praziquantel was ineffective, a single dose of 30 mg/kg praziquantel significantly reduced the number of African pouched rats that shed cestode embryos. A combination treatment may be necessary to successfully treat all parasites present in any given animal.
AB - African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys spp.) are large rodents native to subSaharan Africa. Wild-caught pouched rats identified as Cricetomys ansorgei (n = 49) were imported from Tanzania. A survey of gastrointestinal parasitism by fecal flotation revealed the presence of multiple parasites, including Nippostrongylus spp., Heterakis spp., Trichuris spp., Hymenolepis spp., Raillietina spp., and Eimeria spp. Oral self-administered fenbendazole (150 ppm), topical moxidectin (2 mg/kg), pyrantel pamoate (15 mg/kg), piperazine (100 mg/kg daily), and injectable ivermectin (0.25 mg/kg) were used to determine effective treatment options for the gastrointestinal parasites present in the colony. Pyrantel pamoate in a treat vehicle and piperazine in water bottles were easily administered and significantly reduced the numbers of animals shedding Nippostrongylus spp. and Heterakis spp. during the study. Moxidectin and ivermectin were clinically ineffective at reducing fecal egg shedding. Fenbendazole was most effective at clearing infection with Trichuris spp. Although 10 mg/kg praziquantel was ineffective, a single dose of 30 mg/kg praziquantel significantly reduced the number of African pouched rats that shed cestode embryos. A combination treatment may be necessary to successfully treat all parasites present in any given animal.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 28935004
AN - SCOPUS:85029833087
SN - 1532-0820
VL - 67
SP - 420
EP - 429
JO - Comparative Medicine
JF - Comparative Medicine
IS - 5
ER -