Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Norway rats living in a business district in Yokohama

Abstract

We collected Norway rats outside buildings in a 21-hectare business district in Yokohama and examined a zoonotic parasite, rat lungworms Angiostrongylus cantonensis, in them. Infection rates of the parasite in rats two months old or older were 4.9％ (2/41) in February 2015, 18.5％ (5/27) in February 2016, and 28.6％ (6/21) in February 2017. The infection rate in 2017 was significantly higher than that in 2015 (P＝0.05).