Endoparasites of Muskrats in the Vicinity of Hamilton, Ontario
Endoparasites of Muskrats in the Vicinity of Hamilton, Ontario
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DOI：
10.1093/jmammal/33.2.248
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发表时间：
1952-05
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
G. K. Sweatman
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
G. K. Sweatman
A marked decline in muskrat numbers occurred during 1947 in the vicinity of Hamilton, Ontario. This population decrease was most obvious in the Dundas Marsh and the environs of the Hamilton Bay. An investigation was made in 1948 and 1949 to determine the species of helminths and their incidence in the muskrats collected from the region. In March, 1948, 53 muskrat carcasses were procured from trappers in the Hamilton Bay district, and in March, 1949, 55 carcasses were collected from the Dundas Marsh. All were stored in a freezing compartment where they remained in excellent condition until they could be examined during the summer months. At the time of autopsy the carcass was examined superficially for obvious pathological conditions. The surface of the carcass was examined for any evidences of filariid worms, but complete diagnosis was impossible because the pelt of each muskrat and many of the hind legs had been removed previously by the trapper. The alimentary tract was sectioned and, like its contents, washed and examined. The reproductive organs, urinary bladder, kidneys, liver, gall bladder, lungs, and heart were all examined. The different types of parasites were observed in 1948, and the incidence of the different species was ascertained in 1949 (Table 1). The percentage of trematodes found was much higher than that of cestodes and nematodes. Notocotylus quinqueserialis infected the greatest number of muskrats and produced the highest concentration in anyone animal. The caecum of one muskrat harboured 989 of these flukes, but the animal appeared totally unaffected, a fact which lends support to Monnig's statement (1947: 66) that the members of the family Notocotylidae are"... usually considered to be relatively harmless."\I The monostome, Calatropis filamentis, parasitized 27 of the muskrats examined from the Hamilton Bay. In all instances its site was the small intestine. In the five animals infected with this trematode from the Dundas Marsh, however, all the flukes were removed from the large intestine.An examination of the internal organs revealed a large ball of matter, two centimeters in diameter, from the urinary bladder of an adult female which showed no cell detail or archi· tecture, and was diagnosed by the Pathology Department of the Ontario Veterinary College as" coagulated exudate."
