Gastrointestinal parasitic infection in laboratory rats: a challenge for researchers

This study was designed to evaluate the status of gastrointestinal parasites in Wistar rats using parasitological methods. Sixty Wistar rats in different ages which were being maintained conventionally were selected randomly from laboratory animal house. The contents of the gastrointestinal tract of the rats were examined by parasitological methods. All of the rats under study were infected with at least one parasite. Twelve genera of parasites were detected in the rats, the six of which were protozoa includingGiardia muris,Entamoeba muris,Blastocystis spp.,Eimeria spp.,Tritrichomonas muris, andCryptosporidium spp., and the six other ones were helminths includingHymenolepis nana,Syphacia muris,Syphacia obvelata,Strongyloides ratti,Trichosomoides crassicauda (bladder parasite), andAspiculuris tetraptera.G.muris showed the highest prevalence rate (96%) followed byT.muris (95%). In addition, the lowest prevalence rate observed in this study was related toS.obvelata,S.ratti,T.crassicauda, andA.tetraptera, all with 1.5% prevalence. Consequently, it is crucial for researchers to monitor laboratory animals by health surveillance programs, essentially emphasizing the good laboratory practice (GLP) to ensure the quality, consistency, and reproducibility of data in their research.
Source: Comparative Clinical Pathology - Category: Pathology Source Type: research