Cluster of Capillaria hepatica infections in non-commensal rodents from the canton of Geneva, Switzerland.

Abstract

We trapped 664 rodents belonging to five non-commensal species in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, and found a significant cluster of Capillaria hepatica infections in three species in rural and urbanized areas of the northern part of the canton. C. hepatica infections were discovered in the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis (n=99) with an overall prevalence (OP) of 7.0% and a clustered prevalence (CP) of 20%, in the bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus (n=58, OP 5.2%; CP 19%), and in the water vole Arvicola terrestris scherman (n=466; OP 0.2%; CP 4%). The estimated numbers of C. hepatica eggs isolated from infected livers ranged from 1,914 to 938,000 per animal.