Identification of hairs of three Asian commensal mammals: Suncus murinus, Bandicota bengalensis, and Rattus exulans.

Abstract

Hairs of 3 major Asian commensal mammals, Suncus murinus (L.), Bandicota bengalensis (Gray and Hardwicke), and Rattus exulans (Peale), were studied, identified, and compared with those of better-known commensal species to provide an overview of their hair morphologies. Techniques were developed for authentic hair specimen collection and rapid slide mounting to aid in the timely analysis of food products. The study showed that hairs of B. bengalensis and R. exulans are easily identified to the regulatory category of "rat or mouse hair," whereas identification of S. murinus contaminant hairs is possible to the species level.