Taenia taeniaeformis in wild rats

Taenia taeniaeformis is a parasitic tapeworm that is commonly found in cats. The intermediate hosts for this parasite include mice, rats and other rodents. Cats can be infected by the taeniae by feeding on the rodents harbouring the intermediate stages. A total of 105 wild rats (Rattus sp.) in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur were trapped and a post-mortem was carried out. Observation of whole liver samples showed the presence of cysts grossly on the surface. On cutting open the cysts, tapeworms were found and based on the morphological features of the parasites nine rats were confirmed to be positive for Taenia taeniaeformis tapeworms found in cysts in the liver. The cestode was identified based on helminthological keys by Soulsby, 1982. (Copied from article)