ABSTRACT

The popularity of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) as pets as well as experimental animals is continuously increasing. Mongolian gerbils are the main natural hosts of the nematode Dentostomella translucida, also referred to as pinworm, threadworm, or seatworm. D. translucida (Oxyuridae) was recently detected in the necropsy of a gerbil housed at the experimental animal production center of Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Mongolian gerbils are the main natural hosts of D. translucida, also referred to as pinworm. During necropsy in this animal, 26 parasites were collected from the small intestine and microscopically examined. The length of the female and male parasites was determined as 15.6-25.4 (mean, 18.3) and 10.2-16.8 (mean, 13.3) mm, respectively. The mean esophageal length in the female and male parasites was 397.3 and 325.3 mµ, respectively. The vulva of the females was close to the front end and was approximately 8.7 mm in length. The males had a single spiculum of approximately 342 mµ in length. There were seven papillae around the cloaca. During postmortem examination, eggs were also detected in feces collected from the gerbil’s rectum. The eggs were spindle-shaped, slightly asymmetric, and had a diameter of 117-128 × 45-49 mµ (mean, 120 × 48 mµ). D. translucida, which is a parasite specific to gerbils, may easily affect other members of the animal colony. Thus, controling its presence in gerbil breeding units is essential.

Keywords: Gerbil, helminth, nematode, Dentostomella translucida, Turkey