Prevalence of Ecto and Gastrointestinal Parasites of Rattus rattus in Mazandaran Province, North of Iran

Objective: Rodents act as reservoir hosts and are an important potential source for many zoonotic pathogens such as parasites, which pose a public health risk to humans. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the prevalence of parasites among rodents.
Methods: A total of 118 Rattus rattus were captured in Mazandaran province, north of Iran, using snap live traps. Various samples were collected from feces and each rat was combed with a fine-tooth comb to extricate any ectoparasite. Fecal specimens were examined by direct wet mounting, formalin-ether concentration, modified acid-fast, and trichrome staining methods.
Results: The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in the examined rats was 75.4%. Cryptosporidium spp. (30.5%) were the most prevalent protozoan, followed by Giardia spp. (20.3%), Entamoeba muris (13.5%), Trichomonas muris (10.1%), and Spironucleus muris (3.3%). Regarding helminths' eggs, Syphacia obvelata (24.5%), Hymenolepis diminuta (10.1%), and Trichuris muris (9.3%) had the highest prevalence, respectively. Furthermore, 3060 ectoparasites collected from 102 rodents were infested with lice (40% Polyplax spp.), mites (33.3%), and flea (16.1% Xenopsylla cheopis and 10.6% Xenopsylla astia ).
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the prevalence of ecto and gastrointestinal parasites in the collected rats in the area being studied was remarkably high. Additionally, Rattus rattus can be considered a potential risk to human health.