Universlty of Manltoba
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THE HELMINTHOFAUNA OF SMALL BODENTS IN SOUTHEBN I{ANTIOBA A Thesis Presented, to the Faculty of Grad.uate Süud-les and. Research Universlty of Manltoba fn Partlal F\r1fl1lnent of the Bequlremenüs for the Ðegree Master of Sclence ffi urutvrRs/ryìs ,..# by 0i- tulANlTOBA Brian Blchard. Jaeobsenu ¿'. ¡{+i'r,rr ,-*d 11. $Errlì.ÄçL Eleven species of helminths (seven of cestod.es and. four of nematodes) were found in a total of 1081 specimens of five species of rodents from southern Manitoba. Six new host records were established. Focal distributions of cestodes were attributed, to their lif e cycles; a.nd foci of nematodes to the relative abundance of moisture in the habitats studied. Infections of Angrp r¡acrocephala and Capillaria hepatica varied seasonally. No statistic- aI evidence was found of positive or negative correlative occurrence between members of parasite pairs. CapilLeria hepatica was the only rodent parasiie found that is a potential human patnogen. Çuterebra sp. (Cuterebridae¡ Diptera) was found in 5.5% of rodents examined. 1L1 . ACKNOl^ILEDGMENTS I would. l1ke to express my sincere gratitud.e to Dr. G. Lubinsky, Associate professor of Zoology, - unlverslty of Manltoba for his assistance and. encourage; ¡nent in this stud.y. I am al_so ind_ebted to Dr. H. E. hlel-ch, Head., Ðepartment of ZooLogy, University of Manitoba, for his val-uable counsel. Thanks are d.ue to Dr. C. tüatts, Departnent of ãoology, University of Manltoba, Ðr. S. fverson of the ÏthiteshelL Nuclear Reaetor at Pinawa, Manitoba and. Dr. M. Levin of the Departnent of Botany, Unlversity of Manltoba. iv. TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE i. ABSTRACT ii. ACKNOhILEDGI,[ENTS iii. TABLE OF CONTENTS iv. LIST OF TABLES vi. LÏST OF FTGURES vi1. TNTBODUCT]ON I HïSTORICAL BEVIEI'Í 2 ÐESCRTPTION OF THE SUR\EY ABEAS l+ ïntrod.uction 4 Area I - Disturbed. Grassland. I+ Area ïI - Lakeshore Forest 10 Area ïïI - Backshore Marsh r3 Area IV - Open Fleld.s tt+ Area V - Aspen-Ash Forest 14 MATERÏALS AND METHODS I6 Collection of rod"ents I6 fd.entlficatlon of rod-ents 1B Exanlnation of hosts 18 Preparation of cestod.es L9 Preparation of nenatod.es 20 Tlssue sections 20 Id.entificatlon of helninths 2l Tabulation of data 2T NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF THE ROSTS 26 Introd.uction 26 Peronyscus naFl culatus 26 Microtus pennsylvaniCus dnrnmond.l 27 CJ.ethrLonomys qapperi 27 30 Weo-zÐG-ffienis frrrtectanus 3o NOTES- ON THE PABASITES FOIIND 37 fntrod-uction 37 And.rya baird-i 37 And-rya macrocephala 3B Paranoploc ephala lnfrequens ¿11 ParanopLoc ephalg variabili s l+z v. îable of Contents (continued.) C atenotaeni.a d.end.rl tica r+3 Hyd.ati gera taenlae f orn_i s 44 Taenia mustelae 46 ffialÏã-ffitica 54 Heliguosomum costellatum 63 Hellgnosouum nicroti 6t+ Syphacia obvelata 65 DÏSCUSSION 66 CONCLUSIONS 90 APPENDTX I 9? APPENDIX Ï] 93 REFERENCES 9:t vi. LIST OF TABLEg ï. Previous surveys of the helnlnthofauna of 3 snall- rod-ents in Canad-a and. in the north central United. States. II. Rodents recovered- fron each of the five 5 biotopes. If I. Lisf of hosts and of their hel-minths. 2Lþ fV. Lisü of helninths found. 3L V. Helninth parasites of rod_ents from various 36 biotopes in southern Manitoba. VI. Record-s of Hyd-atigerg tâeniaeforn_is (Batsch , I+5 t7B6 ) in North Arnerican rod-ents. VII. Cestod.es found. 1n small rod.ents in Canada 6Z and. in the north central United. States. VIII. Nenatod-es found. in snal-l rodents in Canad_a 68 and. in the north central United" Süates. ïX. Instances of nultiple species paraslËisn, 8j', X. Cases of human infection with Capillaria 8T hepatlca (Bancroft, tAg6). Xf . Infectlons with Cuterebra in vol-es ln 96, North America during perlod-s of peak abund.ance. vii. LTST OF F]GURES 1. Map of southern Manitoba showlng the trapping 6 areas. 2. Map of south hlinnipeg showing the Èrapping I areas of the d.lsturbed- grassland biotope. 3. Map of DeLta region showlng the positions of LI blotopes II and- III. 4. Data tabulation sheet. 22 5. Percentage lnfectlon of Mlcrotus pennsylvanlcus 28 d-rurnmond-l with helninths ln Manitoba, 6. Couposlte d"iagram of a volets dlgestive tract, 3l+ showlng the position of helnlnths. 7 . Mature segment of a sterile Andrya ma.crocephala. 39 B. (a) Scolex of a larva of Taenla mustelae. 50( (b) Rostellar hooks of T. mustelae 1,arva. 9. Llver of $icry!,gs pennsylvanicus d.runngnd.l 52 inf ected. wtth 1.anrae of Þggþ mustelae. 10. CJethrionogryg gapperi lorlngl infected. with 56 Capillaria Epg!!c3. lL. Close-up of the infected liver shown in 5B Figure 10. !2. Longltud.lnal sectlon through Capill-aria hepgticg 6O in liver of Clethrignonys gapperi loringi. L3. Cross-secülon through Capillaria hepatlca in 6O llver of Clethrlongmys gapperi lsægi.. vlii " I"ist of irigures (contlnued) 14. Seasonal variation in incidence in helmlnth infec- 7L tions in Ülethrionomys, Micfotus, ild Peromyscus in Þlanitoba- during L966 and L967. L5. Proportion of adults in rodent populations from 73 southern lvianltoba in L967 . L6. Seasonal variation in incidence of Andrya macro- 75 cephala infections in voles in l.{ichigan. (Rausch and Tiner, L949) 17. Seasonal varj-ation iri incidence in Andrya macro- 77 cepha.Ia infections-'in voles in Manitoba. i8. Seasonal vari-ation in incidence in Capillaria 80 hepatica inf ections in rod.ents from Delta (Area II) in L967. !9. Seasonal variation in incidence in Taenia mustelae 8Z infections in Microtus_ and Clethrionomvs in L966 and I9ó7. TNTRODUCT]ON The helnlnthofauna of snall rod-ents has been well stud-led- ln the northern United. States and. ln easüern and western Cartada,but little 1s known of rodent helninths ln Manitoba and. Saskatchewan. The purpose of thls work rlüas, therefore, to extend- the knowledge of the d-istrlbution of these helnlnths in Manltoba. The results of this type of survey eire better und-er- stood- lf the habitat and- habits of the host are consldered, as the external environment often influeRees the host and. hence its paraslte tauna. Thls influence of hablüat ls reflecüed- not only ln the number and. variety of helninths lnfectlng the rod"ents, but also ln the seasonal changes of the paraslte faïna. Three other aspects of parasitlsn lfere also exa^nlned-: nulülple species parasltlsn, focal dlstributions of he]- ninths, and the exlstence ln Manitoba of rod.ent parasltes which are potential hunan pathogens. To obtaln the requlred. d.ata, rodents Îüere trapped- in five dlfferent blotopes ln southern Manltoba d-urlng May to Septenber ln ]-966 and. t96?. -2- HTSTORTCAL REVIEW The helninthofauna of snall rod_ents has been 1n- tenslvely stud.led ln the northern United. States, but only a few papers on the helnlnühs of Canad_ian rodents have been publlshed- (Table I). Prevlous Canadlan workers (35,46,53,7Q,90) were concerned. wlth either a speclfic rod.ent or a helninth (e.g.Iarval cestod.es). Schad. (89) and. Lublnsky (6Sl studled- the parasltes of several ro- dents, but gave no d.ata about dlfferences between blo- topes, seasonal varlatlon, or nu1tlp1e species parasitlsn. In the Unlted States, Harkema (45) studied_ seasonal varlatlon ln helninth infections of the rabblt, but not of the rod.ents that he examined_. Rausch and_ Tlner (85) also stud.ied seasonal varlatlon, but d-1d not analyse ühe differences beüween helnlnth infections in the varlous biotopes which they examlned.. Kuns and. Bauseh (56) are the only knourn workers who analysed the d.lfferences be- tween biotopes and. thelr influence on the parasltes of voles frorn these blotopes. The remalnlng Anerican workers have provld.ed- only lists of the rodents that they exa"uined. and. the parasites tnat they found-. My stud.y, therefore, represents probably ühe only : stud-y of this type in North Anerica, âs it exanines several aspects of parasltism. -3- TABLE I. Prevlous surveys of the helnlnthofauna of snall rod.ents in Canada and, in the north .central Unlted. SËates. DATE CAIVADA L933 Mcl,eod (70) Manltoba* 19 5L Knlght (531 Brltish Colunbia J-95,t+ Schad (89) N.E.Quebec & Labrad.or L956 Schad (90) S. Quebec l-957 Lubinsky (6Sl Alberta L959 Freenan and Ïi'Irlght (35) Onfarlo t966 Hnatiuk (46) Saskatchewan UNITED STATES T9I5 Barker (7) United. States L936 Harkema (4Sl North ÇaroIlna t938 Erickson (29) Mlnnesota l-9t+2 Aneel (3) Mlchigan t9t+8 Bauseh and- Tlner (85) North-central States L9t+9 Ed¡¡ards (?6) New Tork tg50 Kuns and- Bausch (56') ï'Iyonlng l-952 Rausch (80) Alaska 1957 Dunagan (21+) Alaska t953 Read- and Ml1lenann (86) Callfôrnia t953 Slllnan (9LI) Mlchlgan ]955 HaII and. Sonnenberg (43)Mar¡land., Kentucky rg6o Grundmann (39) Utah t96z Lelby (58) Id.aho l-967 Kinsella (51) Montana *Mcleod. studled. only the genus- L+- DESCBÏPÎÏON OF T}iE SUR\TEY ABEAS Flve d.lfferent blotopes lrrere selected for this sur- vey in ord.er to determlne how tlne parasitic fauna of rod.ents varies wlth the habltat of the host. These biotopes l^rere d.lsturbed. grassland, lakeshore foresü, backshore narsh, operl fleId.s, and. asBen-ash forest. The cllnate of ühe first three bioüopes is nearly id.entlcal-: the mean July tenperature 1s 68-690 P. and. the mean January üempe:rature 1-2o F. The frost-free season lasts 110-120 d-ays. Average annual preelpitatlon 1s 19-20 lnehes. The climate of the open fleld.s and. aspen- ash forest ls cooLer and. wetter¡ the mean July temperature is 66-6?o F. and that of January-l-Oo F. The frost-free season lasts 100-110 d.ays. Annual precipltation is 2I- 22 inches.