Enzootic Hepatic Capillariasis (Calodium hepaticum) in Street Rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Marseille City, France

Cedric Roqueplo (1) , Hubert Lepidi (2, 3) , Hacene Medkour (2) , Younes Laidoudi (3, 2) , Jean-Lou Marie (4) , Bernard Davoust (2, 3)

1 GTEA - Groupe de travail en épidémiologie animale
2 MEPHI - Microbes évolution phylogénie et infections
3 IHU Marseille - Institut Hospitalier Universitaire Méditerranée Infection
4 Direction Régionale du Service de Santé des Armées (DRSSA - Toulon)

Hepatic capillariasis is a rare and neglected zoonosis affecting wild and synanthropic small rodents. It is caused by infection with Calodium hepaticum in liver. Despite the worldwide distribution of the host Rattus norvegicus (brown or street rats) in the urban area, the epidemiological status of this parasitosis remains unknown. In the present study, we examined a total of 27 brown rats from the city centre and a garden (four km from the city centre) of Marseille, France. All rats were autopsied and 52% showed the presence of C. hepaticum eggs in the liver. This result draws general attention to public health risks, since street rats are living near the human population.

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]

Cedric Roqueplo, Hubert Lepidi, Hacene Medkour, Younes Laidoudi, Jean-Lou Marie, et al.. Enzootic Hepatic Capillariasis (Calodium hepaticum) in Street Rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Marseille City, France. Pathogens, 2020, 9 (12), ⟨10.3390/pathogens9121048⟩. ⟨hal-03149235⟩