In this experiment that we have been performing, we have unwillingly come across the presense of intestinal parasites affecting our laboratory rats. Even though intestinal parasites in animals are not uncommon, the symptoms of lethargy, watery stool, and raised body temperature were quite disturbing to our work.
The infestation of our Staphylococcus Aureus rat, Aargh, was first noticed by myself while cleaning the cages one day shortly after acquiring the rats. I had noticed a staedy of decrease of activity from this animal, and did not understand the cause of this irregularity. We had monitored him daily and took observations on his weight, food and water intake, and behavior and had definitely noticed that there was a problem. On the day in question, Aargh had freshly defecated, and I had noticed movement in the stool. Upon this observation, I picked up the rat and examined his anus, where I found there to be a large infestation of the worms protruding from this orfice. Due to this finding, we knew that we had discovered a partial if not full reason for the odd behavior in this animal.
We began a series of tests and cultures that would determine the exact type and seriousness of the infestation. This process involved obtaining swabs of stool and of areas around the anus, and preparing slides of the obtained data. These slides were then observed under the microscope and photographed carefully. During this time we noticed that the worms were numerous and of some type of roundworm-type nature. We were also able to detect many egg-clusters in the feces, as well as under-developed larvae. Due to this, we were able to draw the conclusion that the infestation was serious and showing no signs of slowing.
In an attempt to save the life and usability of this animal, we decided to use the services of a local veterinarian to determine the exact type and species of the parasite present. After several days, he informed us that the worms in question were of one or two types: Trichuris(more commonly known as whipworms) or Capillaria. (For more information on either of these genus of worms, please click on the names of the worm.)When we first were informed of this problem, we had plans to attempt to rid the rat of the parasite, but we later realized that the time it would take to cure him would severely hinder our project. We therefore decided to terminate his use, and he resides at my house. Please feels free to look into our research done on the two genus of worms in question and contact us if you have any questions or comments.
