Authors : S.J. Sambo , N.D.G. Ibrahim , H.M. Kazeem , S. Adamu , P.H. Mammam and M.N. Ali
Abstract: Thirty-five adults clinically healthy African giant rats captured around Zaria were purchased for examination between April to August, 2006. Each rat was euthanized with chloroform and postmortem examination was conducted on them. Subsequently, a liver specimen was obtained from each rat and fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin. They were later processed, sectioned at 5 �m thickness, stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) technique and the slides were examined using the light microscope (Olympus®). Photomicrographs were taken with the Deluxe® photomicroscope (x40 0bjective). Twenty-five (71.4%) of the rats had normal livers grossly, while 10 (28.6%) exhibited gross changes. There were whitish and grayish patchy areas of necrosis in 5 (14.3%), fatty change in 2 (5.7%) and slight congestion in 3 (8.6%) livers from the rats. Light microscopy revealed ova of Capillaria hepatica within the parenchyma of the livers from 2 (5.7%) of the rats which had hepatic necrosis grossly. The ova were predominantly immature, while few matured ones had the typical bipolar nature of ova of Capillaria sp. The preponderance of these ova distorted the parenchyma and compressed the hepatic cells in the affected areas. Mild fatty degeneration was observed in close association to the ova and elsewhere within unaffected portions of the hepatic parenchyma. The consumption of African giant rats may lead to human cases of capillariosis if not properly cooked or roasted.
S.J. Sambo , N.D.G. Ibrahim , H.M. Kazeem , S. Adamu , P.H. Mammam and M.N. Ali , 2008. Hepatic Capillariosis in African Giant Rats (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse) Around Zaria, Nigeria. Veterinary Research, 2: 9-11.