Infection of Mammary Glands of Small Mammals in Eastern North America by Helminths
To determine whether small mammals living in natural settings harbor helminth infections in their mammary glands, we conducted a survey of helminths infecting rodents and soricimorphs in three widespread locations in the eastern United States: states of New York, Tennessee, and Georgia. We examined...
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
MDPI AG
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/ae508f63eda241a3b7a2b5fb3ac5bf3b |
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| Sumario: | To determine whether small mammals living in natural settings harbor helminth infections in their mammary glands, we conducted a survey of helminths infecting rodents and soricimorphs in three widespread locations in the eastern United States: states of New York, Tennessee, and Georgia. We examined all the primary organs in all hosts, and identified all helminths. We also excised the complete mammary glands within their subcutaneous fat pads, then stained and mounted each whole mammary gland set for microscopical examination. A total of 53 individual hosts were examined, including 32 <i>Peromyscus</i> spp., 11 <i>Mus musculus</i>, 5 <i>Sigmodon hispidus</i>, 4 <i>Clethrionomys gapperi</i>, and 1 <i>Blarina carolinensis</i>. Helminths collected included <i>Heligmosomoides</i> sp., <i>Hymenolepis</i><i>diminuta</i>, <i>Hymenolepis nana</i>, <i>Pterygodermatites peromysci</i>, <i>Schistosomatium douthitti</i>, <i>Syphacia obvelata</i>, <i>Syphacia sigmodontis</i>, and <i>Trichostrongylus sigmodontis</i>. Four <i>S. hispidus</i> were infected by <i>T. sigmodontis</i> in the small intestine; in all four, we also found nematode larvae in lactiferous duct lumen and lactogenic tissue of the mammary glands. We were unable to identify the species of nematode larvae, but the co-occurrence with <i>T. sigmodontis</i> in all cases may suggest an association. Future studies should seek to identify such larvae using molecular and other methods, and to determine the role of these mammary nematode larvae in the life cycle of the identified species. No other host species harbored helminths in the mammary glands. Overall, our results suggest that mammary infections in wild small mammals are not common, but warrant inclusion in future surveys. |
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