Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1951-08-01 Some studies on the consortes of the Norway rat in Utah county, Utah Roy J. Myklebust Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Myklebust, Roy J., "Some studies on the consortes of the Norway rat in Utah county, Utah" (1951). Theses and Dissertations. 7835. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7835 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. •· \ QL '· '..., ,.oz_ , ~\05 \qs\ SOMES'l'UDIES ON TEE CONSORl.ESOJ' THI NORWAYRAT IN UTAHOOUNTY• UTAH A. TB.ISIS SUBMl'l'ffD TO THE DEPARl'MEN'l'OF ZOOLOGY.AND J.ffl'OMOLOGYAND '.l'l:IE GRAW.ATE SOBOOL or BRIGHAM YOUNGtmlv.lRSITY IN P.ARrlALFUUIL1Ml!:tfr 01 THE D.t,UIRBMEN'l'SJOR THE DEGREE 01 MASTEROJ' SOD:NCE BY ROY 1. MJKIJmUS1' AUGUS?,1951 This thesis by Roy 1. Myklebust 1s accepted 1n its present tom. b7 the I>epan• the Thesis requirements tor the degree ot Master ot Science. Signed: Thesis Ccmmittae 11 l Wish to extend rq sincere appreciation to Dr. D. Eld.en Beck• As1001ate Professor 1n the Depa:rtmiant ot zoology and Entomology-at Briaha.m Young tJDiversi • tor his ready and unstinted senioes in the dn-eloJ;ID8nt ot an4 S11ggestiona to this atua.y, and tor his preparation and 1dent1f1cat1on ot the S1phonaptera.. l4'y' sinee:re gratitude is al.so enendedto .or. c. Iqna Hayward., ASaociate Protessor ot the Department ot Zoology and Entomologywho provided suggestions relative to stail11ng techniques. My sincerest gra.t1twle is «rtended to Hr. Don.ld x. Allred, graduate research assistant 1n the Department ot zoology aDd Entceology tor his aid in the nmoval of 8114 the preparation of the fleas, and to:r his suggestions 0011cernillg the techniques ot prepara.tioa tor microscope observation. Sincere thEmka are extended to Mr. Douglas Brown ud Mr, Keith Richardson• atuclenta at l3r1gham Y01.\D8University, tor their assistance 1n field collections, and to Ifl8JlY' others who ~v• a kim\l.y word or help- ing ham wben it was most needed, 111 T.ABLEOJ' CON'l'EN'l'S . Page • • * •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Ti • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •' < 1 . •••••••• • •' • • • • • • s Tri Cbine+1:f sp1ry.l1JS 7:9en1a taenig.eto mis Sipho~ptera Anoplura A.Car111a General. The Host-Jll;1;us ll.Ol"!§iCUII NA'!URALHISTORr • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • mcpinella spirM,;iB t,enia te.epiaefOl'mis Siphonaptera Anoplura Aearina 'fhe I:[email protected] ll.Ol'T!fQ®.S D'J.'HOOO• • • • • • ., • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • U Field Methods Areas ot Collection Trapp1ng Baggi.Dgand bansPortation laboratory Methods Ectoconsortes General S1phonaptera (Mounting '1'echn1ques) Acarine. (Mi.tea) (Moun.Ung '?eOlmiques) ED4oeonsortes Ez:amina.tionot Bost and Removal ot Tiasu.e Preparation ot Bon fl.asues Ernrt1nat1on ot Prepared Specimens Interpretation ot Data OBSERVATIONS.AND DISCUSSION • • • • • • • • • • • • • 24 EDdoconsortes Ectooonsones Habitat am Bost sex Relatimsllips o:t Ectoconsortes iv TABLI OF OONTENTS-Contipued Page General Siphonaptera .moplu:ra A.Carina !~'II,,,,,- ,;,. 'l.'heSpecies of Ectoconsortee Si~naptera Aearina (W.tea} Stmmal.-y SUMMAR!'• • • • • • • .. • • .. • • • • • • • • • • • • 42 .APPE'KOIX• • • • " • • • • • • "., • • • • • • • • • • • 45 CI'l'lm • •,. • •·• • .,. • • • •·• • • • • • fl .. - '\ • i ' ., !able Page 1. Eotoeonsortes Infestation ot Bats by Habitat • • • • • • 2. Infestation of Rats 1n Dunpa • • •, • • • •, • • • • • 3G • • • • • .... lnfestat1on of Bats at B.Y•producte Plant " • • • • ., , • 5. Infestation ot B£1.tsm Rural. Oamm.ercial Habitat , ., • • 6e Intestation ot Rats 1n Res14en:t1al and Farm. Habitat • • 'I. :mctoconsortes by &bitats • •. • • • •. • • • • • •, s. Ectoconsortes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • * • • • • 4ll 9. Infestation at Amor.I.canfork Garbage llump • • • • • • • 4S 10. Ini"estation at Spri.ugrtlle Garbage Dump•• • • • • • • 50 11. Infestation at SPQJlish Fork Garbage Dmnp• • • • • • • • 51 12. Inf'oate.t1on at GCl.rbageDump, lGth ao. &. D.&:R.G.,Pl'o'fO • 52 13. Infestation at Old Orem Garbage DWnp• • • • • • • • • • 52 14. Infestation at Old Provo Garbage Dump•••••••••• 55 15, Infestation at Pl'ovo Hide and iur, Pl'ovo • • • • • • • • 54 16. Intestation at Kuhni Bros. By-products, Il'01lton • • • • 55 17 • Intestation at Lehi Roller Kills. Lehi • • • • • • • • • 58 1e. Infestation at Utah County Packh.g Compwy, xranton • • 59 lt. l':ntestat1on at American :roa Slauglrtem.ouse • • • • • • 60 20. Intestation at Clutt's l'ee<l mu, PJX.tvo• • • • • • • • 61 21. Intestation at 12th North & First F.ast • ProYO • • • • • 62 22. Intena.tion at Wash Bardy Chicken Fam, Provo • • • • • 64 25• Infestation at Utah State Boapita.l• Provo • • • • • • • &5 Table 24. Int'estation at Merrill Mechem :Fam, Ors • • • • • • • • 66 25. Intestat1on at Boat Barbor I P?'oYO• • , • • • • • • • ·•• • • • 47 2&., Intestattan at 363 North 3rd. East• Lehi • • • • • , • • • • 68 27. In:testation at DfilXlIQ'Evans :rtum, Lehi • • • • • • • • • • 69 28• Inf'esta:Uon at Clayton Farnsworth Place, Oart;enille • • 70 29.-. Intest;ation a.t Y View Mal'ket, Provo • • • • • • • • • • • fO . , ... ., ' ··•. -.~ 1'11 Yor many yeal"8 there baa been a 1"Gcognit1on of the tact that little -.a knowJl ot the interrelationships ot .rodents, their oonsortes, and man. SOme work has been done relative to the :rodent-bome diseases More reoan:U.y, wo:dt has been domt 1n evaluating the role of d<Dest1c ro- dents as Tectors ot enteric 1nteot10D.B, such as the work ot Rubenstein, et al.. (1944). This study of the Noff87 rat, Rattus !2£!!P:CU! (.lrxleben) and its <:onso:rtes was underlalam in Utah OOW1ty to deter.m.net (l} the tre- qwmc,- ot 1m'ect1on ot Tzi.ob.inella s;aajis (ONn) Raill1et 1 the causa.• tive organism of trichinosis ill humans, (2) the popu.lat1ons of fleas, lice and mites on the rat, am (3) the oocurenoe ot other consortes. This study covered a period from 1al1Ua.l."Y• 1951 thrOugh June, 1951. Additional 1"Gcol'dani-e made available t?"Omstudies being made by the Depart;ment ot Zoology and Entomology, Brigham You.ng University on para.- s1t1o arthropods (listed as Project Ten). The species ot fleas, and those • mites which could be d.~t•l'mined to the species were studied in relation to population. ot the cona:>rs• habitat. and au of tb:e rat host. m.phasis was placed on the population aspect ot the consors of the rat. The term conso1'8 (plural, oo:usortes) 1s used in the pa.per to in• elude all associes of the No:rway rat. The fleas, lice. and mites have long been called tftopan.eites, wb.ile au.ch internal associes as '1':r1oh1• n.ella aJld 'l'aenia have been oalled. endoparasites. Pearse (1942) intro- duced the wm eonacnes to inolude all organisms which regularlf live l 2 or are assooiated with another. 'fhta includes the three terms usually used, cam.ensals, :p&1"U1tes, am symbioats. Due to various life cycles. end different host relat1oash1ps at various stages ot the life cycle, the tenn ccmsors is used to awld misleading impressions of commeDSa.lism, parasitism• or S;Jmbiosis. Records an4 s:pee1mens ot the consortes or this study are filed with Projeot,'l'e ot the Department of zoology and Imtanology 1 Briglwn. Young Universi'Q'• This project is both a COW'.l.Vcd statewide long-range study ot the eo'boconsones populations ot the rodents of Utah. Trichinella spiralls (owen) Railliet Trichinosis is a serious disease or man, though no accurate long-time records of the tn:rection are lu10•• Trichinella was tirat recognized by Tiedemann in Ge:xmany 1n 1822. Leidy 1n :Philadelphia first recognized it in the United ate.tea in 1846• but it was no\ until 1860 that the German worker, Zenker, recognized the connection between eating 1ntecte4 pork and the develoIJDBnt of the disease, trieht.nosis,. in a human being (Merrill, 1941). Ia Minneapolis• Riley e.ud Seheitly- (19S4) found lV .91&ot ll'/ h\lm8ll diaphragms :infected. A similar study by MoNaught and Anderson (1956) 1a San Francisco revealed 24% ot 200 41aphngms infected. other studies by Hinman (1936)• Nolan a.tld l!lozicevich (1938), Wright (1939). alld muy others have been ma.de showing the frequency ot infection. From these studies• Mem.ll (1941) found the average of infection to be be• tween 16 and 18 percent of the p,pulation. Merrill (1941) • -.,rldng in Utah, toum l"lj of lll human subjects poaitive to an 1ntradennal. sensith1.ty test tor trichinosis, end ll.1% ot 18 diaphragms frcD two larger hosp1 tals in northern ute.h infected. with trichinosis, Seven d1aphra,gms were tram Sel:t Lake Oity cd ll were trcm Ogden., ot the 18 diaphragms, two f:raDl the Ogden Sl'OUP were positive. The Salt Lake Oity Board ot Health made a study of' the 1».cidenee of triohinosia 1n re.ts collooted trom the hog tal!!ls ot Salt Lake County 1 1n 1949, and found 3 out ot av, or 3.~ inf'ect.a.. No previous stu.41 1Fram the author'• field notes. 3 -----------------------~-- - 4 ls knownf'rom Utah County on this problem. l Taenie. taeniaetom,s (Be.tech) woittgel This tapewom, which is parasitic in ca1u, and rats was tirst . named by Hartmann (1695) ~er the name ycsio9J.an.s m.uris., Rwlolphi (1808) ne.ined the bladder wom. st.age in th.e rat• o.zs·Uoereus tasoiolaris. Ball (1910) brollght the Wol'fl'lation u.p 'to date with respect to lite history e.Dli taxonomy. 1-qman (l9Slb) :reviews the general physiology, ane:~OlQ'• w taxonQm1' ot this tona as it resembles ud dU'ters tm:m.the other species ot Ta5!a. Siphopg:ptera The fleas have long been studied because ot their relationships as notors ot bubonic pl.ague.