The prevalence of Capillaria hepatica (Bancroft, 1893) infection in a total of 2324 rats trapped from 25 localities in West Malaysia was 15.5%. Infection rates in males (16.0%) and females (15.1%) are similar. A significantly higher percentage of adults (18.1%) than young (7.7%) was infected. Capillaria hepatica infection rates among urban (0.7%) and jungle (0.0%) rats was very low as compared to field rats (17.7%) trapped from agricultural areas such as oil palm estates and rice growing areas. Prevalence of C. hepatica infection in rats is not evenly distributed throughout West Malaysia. There seem to be localised foci of infection. In some areas as many as 77.8% of the adult rats are found to be infected while in other areas the same species of rats are found free of infection.
The recovery of six adult Gnathostoma spinigerum Owen, 1936 from a civet cat, Prionodon linsang Hardwick, constitutes the second reported record of this parasite and the first authenticated case of adult worms found in a wild animal from Malaysia. The food habits of the infected P. linsang as an important link in the transmission of G. spinigerum in the intermediate and definitive hosts together with the probable distribution of this parasite are discussed.
Gastrointestinal nematodes can cause assorted health problems to human and other primates. The status of gastrointestinal nematodes in non-human primates remained less documented in Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of gastrointestinal nematodes recovered from the fecal samples of captive non-human primates at the Matang Wildlife Centre (MWC), Sarawak. Fresh fecal samples were collected from 60 non-human primates of six species (i.e. Orangutan, Bornean gibbon, Silvered Leaf monkey, Slow loris, Pig-tailed macaque, and Long-tailed macaque) and processed using simple fecal floatation method and fecal sedimentation method. This study shows high prevalence of nematode infection (>=50%) and co-infection (22 from 45 infected individuals) in all species of captive non-human primates found in MWC, except one individual of young Silvered Leaf monkey was negative for nematode. From these, eight genera of 11 species and one unknown nematode larvae were recovered and among them Oesophagostomum sp., Ascaris sp., and Strongyloides sp. were the most common nematodes infecting the non-human primates. All the Bornean gibbon (n=7) were found to be infected with nematodes. Moreover, Long-tailed macaques at the centre were heavily infected by Ascaris sp. (number of total count, nt = 2132; total mean abundance, MA=113.70). This is the first report of high prevalence nematode infection on multiple species of captive non-human primates in a wildlife centre located in Sarawak. Some of the nematodes are of zoonotic potential. This information is important for health care management, both in-situ and ex-situ conservations of captive and free-ranging nonhuman primates.
A survey of Angiostrongylus malaysiensis among wild rodent and molluscan hosts was made in the Tuaran Central Agricultural Research Station and within the vicinity of Tuaran, Sabah. Three of 19 Rattus rattus diardii, one of 2 R. exulans and one R. argentiventer were found naturally infected with the parasite. In this survey 56 of 382 molluscs comprising of Pila scutata, Achatina fulica and two species of land slugs, Laevicaulis alte and Microparmarion malayanus, were found naturally infected with the parasite. Samples of larvae from each of these molluscs were experimentally transferred to laboratory albino rats and adult worms consistent with A. malaysiensis were recovered. Comparison of the rat hosts and the molluscan intermediate hosts of the parasite in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah was made, and the finding of A. malaysiensis in Tuaran is the first report of the parasite from Sabah. The distribution of the parasite throughout Malaysia is discussed. Observation on the human consumption of the freshwater snail, P. scutata, was made. Although the infection rate of this snail is low compared with other molluscan hosts examined. The importance of this mollusc as a potential source of human infection should not be overlooked. Hospital records for 1974 and 1975 were examined and clinical human angiostrongyliasis was rarely recorded in Sabah.
Capillaria hepatica infection in wild rodents collected from the States of Kelantan, Selangor and Johore in Peninsular Malaysia since 1973 is reported. A total of 1,258 rodents consisting of 20 species of house, field and forest rats, and 7 species of squirrels were examined for the parasite and 17 species consisting of 111 murids and 1 flying squirrel were found infected. The house rat, Rattus norvegicus had the highest prevalence rate, followed by 3 species of field rats, R. tiomanicus, R. argentiventer and Bandicota indica. The prevalence of infection was low among forest rats with the exception of Lenothrix canus. Only 1 flying squirrel, Hylopetes spadiceus was found with the parasite. The prevalence of infection in relation to the host behaviour and habitats was discussed. C. hepatica appears to be widespread throughout Malaysia with a wide range of hosts among rodent species. Some new host records are presented herein.
Five species of adult nematodes, unidentifiable nematode larvae, and three species of acanthocephalans, were found in freshwater ornamental fishes newly imported into Germany from Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Peru, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The following species were identified: Adult Nematoda: Pseudocapillaria tomentosa, Capillariidae gen. sp., Dichelyne hartwichi sp. n., Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) pintoi and Spinitectus allaeri; Acanthocephala: Pseudogorgorhynchus arii gen. et sp. n., Neoechinorhynchus sp. and Pallisentis sp. The nematode Dichelyne hartwichi sp. n. (male only) from the intestine of Chelonodon fluviatilis (Hamilton) from Thailand is characterised mainly by the presence of minute cuticular spines on the tail tip, length of spicules (510 microns) and arrangement of caudal papillae. The acanthocephalan Pseudogorgorhynchus arii sp. n. from the intestine of Ariopsis seemanni (Günther) from Colombia represents a new genus Pseudogorgorhynchus gen. n., differing from other genera of the Rhadinorhynchidae mainly in possessing a small proboscis armed with markedly few (18) hooks arranged in six spiral rows. Spinitectus macheirus Boomker et Puylaert, 1994 and Spinitectus moraveci Boomker et Puylaert, 1994 are considered junior synonyms of Spinitectus allaeri Campana-Rouget, 1961.
In a world in which sheep producers are facing increasing problems due to the rapid spread of anthelmintic resistance, the battle against gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes is a difficult one. One of the potential new tools for integrated control strategies is biological control by means of the nematode-destroying microfungus Duddingtonia flagrans. This fungus forms sticky traps that catch developing larval stages of parasitic nematodes in the fecal environment. When resting spores (chlamydospores) of this fungus are fed daily to grazing animals for a period of time, the pasture infectivity and thus, the worm burden of grazing animals are lowered, especially in young lambs. Research has been conducted throughout the world covering many different climates and management systems. An Australian parasite model showed that if the fungus performs efficiently (> or =90% reduction in worm burden) for 2 or 3 mo, it should contribute significantly to a reduction in the number of dead lambs otherwise occurring when managed only by anthelmintic treatment and grazing management. Feeding or field trials have clearly demonstrated that dosing with a few hundred thousand spores per kilogram of live BW not only reduced the number of infective larvae but also increased the BW of the lambs compared with controls not given fungus. Initial Australian work with feeding spores by means of a block formulation or a slow-release device has shown some promise, but further work is needed to fully develop these delivery systems. In tropical Malaysia, small paddock trials and field studies resulted in significant improvements, in terms of lower worm burdens and increased live BW, when feeding half a million spores daily to grazing lambs. Additional benefits have been observed when the fungus is employed in combination with a fast rotational grazing system. Research has also demonstrated that spores can be delivered in slightly moist feed block material, but only if such blocks are consumed rapidly, because of their very short shelf life. In the northern, temperate Danish climate it has been demonstrated that daily feeding of half a million spores per kilogram of live BW can lead to significant production benefits, with increased live BW gain in fungus-exposed animals. Biological control of parasitic nematodes in sheep seems to hold promise for the future, but to be able to assist producers, the optimal delivery system needs to be refined and further developed. In addition, more work will be needed to define the best use of this technology in different geographic regions.
A study was conducted to determine the helminthes in dog's feces and soil samples from urban and rural areas. Six species of nematodes (Toxocara sp, an undetermined nematode larvae, Strongyloides sp larvae, Ascaris sp ova, hookworm ova, Trichuris sp ova) and one species of Cestode (Taenia sp) were found in 175 stool samples. Seventy-eight point nine percent of stool samples were positive for helminthes. Mixed infection with at least one parasite was found in 32.6% of the samples. The prevalence of helminth infection ranged from 1.1% to 45.1%. The prevalence of hookworm sp was the highest with 45.1%. The highest prevalence in urban dogs was hookworm sp in 76.7% and in rural areas was Ascaris sp in 48.7%. Soil samples were also examined to determine contamination of the environment, especially due to Toxocara canis, as a potential source of infection. Urban soil samples showed a higher contamination rate with 26.7% compared to rural areas with 4.9%. Toxocara ova were the most prevalent helminthes contaminating the soil with 12.1%. This study showed that humans from both urban and rural areas are at risk of acquiring helminth infection from contaminated soil.
Faecal samples were collected from 48 randomly selected smallholder goat farms in northern Peninsular Malaysia. The nematode eggs extracted were tested for resistance to thiabendazole using the egg hatch assay technique. Thiabendazole resistance was found on 19% of farms tested.
Haemonchosis is a common problem on goat farms in tropical countries such as Malaysia. Prevention of production losses generally depends on the use of anthelmintic drugs, but is threatened by the emergence of anthelmintic resistance. This study investigates anthelmintic efficacy on small-scale Malaysian goat farms and describes putative risk factors. Adult goats had moderate to high pre-treatment faecal trichostrongyle egg counts, despite being housed on slatted floors and fed on cut-and-carry forage, raising questions about the source of nematode infection. Our results show multiple resistance to benzimidazole and macrocyclic lactone anthelmintic drugs and allow us to discuss the genetic origins of resistance with reference to farm husbandry and management. We conclude that improvement in Malaysian goat production efficiency will require the development of sustainable helminth control strategies, underpinned by a better understanding of the origins and population genetics of anthelmintic resistance.