A survey on the presence of Babesia sp. in Rattus tanizumi (common field rat) collected from Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija

• Main Author: Carandang, Glenn Vincent S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1996
• Subjects: Babesia; Blood > Parasites; Babesiosis; Rats; Animals > Diseases
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/1340
• Institution: De La Salle University

Giemsa-stained thin blood smears obtained from 110 common field rats (Rattus tanizumi) collected from Barangay San Isidro in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija were microscopically examined. Eighteen rats (16.4) were infected with Babesia sp., with percent parasitemia ranging between 0.7 to 4.5. The low parasitemia noted and the sustained survival of the rats kept in captivity for a maximum of one month seem to suggest that the rodent Babesia observed in R. tanizumi is of the non-virulent (i.e. non-fatal) type. Eleven male rats (23.9) and seven female rats (10.9) were infected. Majority of the infected rats have body weights ranging between 26 to 100 grams. These findings suggest younger male rats (i.e. based on body weights) are more susceptible to Babesia sp. infection.