New data on the helminths of the muskrat (ondatra zibethicus) in Lithuania

Abstract

Thirty-four muskrats, hunted in 2006-2007 on Rusnė Island, Lithuania, were examined for helminths. Eight helminth species were found: five trematodes (Echinostoma sp., Plagiorchis elegans, Skrjabinoplagiorchis ondatrae, Psilotrema spiculigerum, Psilotrema simillimum) and three cestodes (Hydatigera taeniaeformis, Tetratirotaenia polyacantha, Echinococcus multilocularis). All the species found are widely spread or are indigenous to Europe. The helminth fauna in the muskrat consisted of helminths hosted by a wide range of waterfowl and mammals. This was only the second time the cestode E. multilocularis, the causative agent of the serious zoonosis alveolar echinococcosis, was found in the muskrat in Lithuania.