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Histopathological features and prevalence of Capillaria hepatica infection in Rattus spp. in Philippine Mount Makiling forest reserve and its adjacent areas

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Abstract

Rats are recognized as reservoir hosts of several pathogens that pose a threat to human health. Although rats are reported to be hosts of a large number of pathogens, a survey of Capillaria hepatica carried by rats in various settings such as residential, agroforestry, and agricultural areas in the Philippines has not been conducted. A total of 90 rats composed of Rattus norvegicus, Rattus tanezumi, and Rattus exulans were collected through trapping in selected residential, agroforestry, and agricultural areas in Los Baños Laguna, Philippines. The overall prevalence of C. hepatica among rats was 21.11%. Among the rat species collected, R. norvegicus showed the highest prevalence (55.56%), followed by R. exulans (14.29%), then R. tanezumi (5.36%) (differences significant at p < 0.05). Moreover, residential areas had the highest prevalence of C. hepatica infection (50%), followed by agroforestry and agricultural areas at 6.7% each (significant at p < 0.05). However, the difference in C. hepatica infection between male (11.43%; 4/35) and female (27.27%; 15/55) rats was not significant (p > 0.05). Most of the infected rats were moderately infected (68.42%), while few were lightly and severely infected (15.78% each). Lastly, the presence of C. hepatica in liver is suggestive of presence of lymphocytes, amyloid, granuloma, and the occurrence of necrosis, hypertrophy, fibrosis, and cholestasis in the liver of the host. Capillariasis could be occurring in Philippine human populations, hence there is need for screening the population with appropriate means and to create awareness of this emerging disease.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge MODECERA (Monitoring and Detection of Ecosystem Changers for Enhancing Resilience and Adaptation in the Philippines) for their assistance in collection of samples. Mr. Leonardo A. Estaño is also acknowledged for generating the map for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parasitology Research Laboratory, Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

    Maria Henrietta D. P. Quilla & Vachel Gay V. Paller

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  1. Maria Henrietta D. P. Quilla
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  2. Vachel Gay V. Paller
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MHQ and VGP did the research conceptualization and manuscript writing. MHQ also conducted the experiment, data analyses, and field data gathering.

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Correspondence to Vachel Gay V. Paller.

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Quilla, M.H.D.P., Paller, V.G.V. Histopathological features and prevalence of Capillaria hepatica infection in Rattus spp. in Philippine Mount Makiling forest reserve and its adjacent areas. J Parasit Dis 44, 338–348 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-019-01189-1

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