Helminth fauna of small mammals from public parks and urban areas in Bangkok Metropolitan with emphasis on community ecology of infection in synanthropic rodents

In 2018, extensive field studies of diversity and prevalence of helminth infection in synanthropic rodents and non-rodent small mammals from public parks and citified areas in the Bangkok Metropolitan were conducted.Rattus rattuscomplex was the dominant small mammal in public parks. Of the 197 animals, 147 individuals were infected with one or more species of helminths, yielding an infection prevalence of 74.6%. Twenty-five species of helminths were recovered during necropsy.Pterygodermatites taniwas the most prevalent (36.2%); other encountered species includedRaillietina celebensis,Hydatigera taeniaformis(metacestode in liver tissue),Gongylonema neoplasticumandHymenolepis diminuta. Different helminth assemblages infected three different host taxa, i.e. synanthropicRattusspp.,Tupaia belangeri(Northern treeshrew) andSuncus murinus(Asian house shrew). Nine species of possible zoonotic helminths were identified. The focus on synanthropic rats influenced the findings of helminth diversity by either host intrinsic or extrinsic factors. A significant positive correlation was found between host body mass and helminth species richness. Greater helminth species richness was found in rats from public parks compared with animals from citified areas (e.g. inside buildings or offices). Also, helminth species richness was negatively correlated with the proportion of post-flooding/rain-fed land. These results provide essential information for assessing the incidence of potential zoonotic health threats in Bangkok and updating research in parasite ecology.