Prevalence of Capillaria hepatica in non-commensal rodents from a forest area near Dijon, France

Capillaria hepatica is a zoonotic parasite (nematode) found in the liver of many mammals, especially rodents, worldwide. In this study, 94 non-commensal rodents were trapped in a forest area near Dijon, France, including 65 Apodemus spp. and 29 Myodes glareolus. Pathology was studied on the liver of each rodent. Histological lesions consisting of chronic multifocal granulomatous hepatitis due to both eggs and adult forms of the parasite were observed in the liver of eight M. glareolus and one Apodemus spp. The global prevalence of 9.6 % was significantly higher in M. glareolus (27.6 %) compared to Apodemus spp. (1.5 %) living in the same ecosystem. No significant difference in the infection rate was found between males and females of M. glareolus. Gross pathological lesions compatible with capillariasis were observed in four of nine rodents. These results raise the role of wild rodents in the maintenance of capillariasis in nature, and their possible role in the transmission to humans.