L. Forró - É. Murai szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 5. 1989 (Budapest, 1989)

Murai, É., Tenora, F.; StanÄ›k, M.: Atypical strobilocercus (Cestoda: Taeniidae) – a parasite in experimental stocks of Ondatra zibethicus (Rodentia)

The most frequent definitive host of H. taeniaeformis is domesticated cat (Felis catus domesticus Linné, 1766). About the life cycle of the cat-tapeworm in Czechoslovakia see STÉRBA and BARUS (1976), TENORA and STANEK (1985). In these cases it is very likely, that the muskrats become infected with the food contaminated with cestode eggs. The animals in farms, which are concentrated in a small space, are constantly endangered by new invasions. Repeated massive infestation may cause the death of the muskrats. DISCUSSION The prevalence of larval H. taeniaeformis infestation is much higher in muskrats than in other intermediate hosts all over Europe: In Hungary in natural populations of Ondatra zi bethicus 25%, in other rodents 5% (MURAI, 1982); in Czechoslovakia in farms 74% (VANATKA 1967), or in other cases 95% (TENORA and STANEK 1985); MÜLLER (1966) found 33. 17% in German Democratic Republic, FRANK and ZEYHLE (1981) found that 48% of muskrats were infected in Württemberg. There are many records about high intensities of strobilocercosis in muskrats: SEY (1965!, FRANK and/EYHLE (1981), EBLE (cit. in the former paper!, SCHUSTER (1982), TENORA and BARUS ("1955!, VANATKA (1967! registrated 40, 40, 63, 90, 315 and 380 strobilocercus larvae in the liver of one muskrat, respectively. 5 mm ig. 13. Taenia parva, polycephalic metacestodes from the abdominal cavity of Apodemus sylvaticus (After MAS-COMA and FELIU 1977! Figs 14-15. Hydatigera krepkogorski, polycephalic metacestodes from the abdominal cavity of Rhombomys opimus (After SLAIS 1973!