Microfilaræmia in Rock Rabbits

Abstract

DURING the course of studies on transmission of Bancroftial filariasis on Ukara Island in Tanganyika, domestic and wild animals were examined for micro-filarial infections. Among those infected were rock rabbits, Heterohyrax syriacus diesneri Brauer. Of 28 specimens of mixed sexes, 57 per cent were infected. Records of the number of microfilarise in thin blood films, prepared by a standardized technique, are compared with body-lengths of the individual hyrax in Table 1. The results may be of interest because they show a general positive correlation between size of host and intensity of a microfilarial infection in a species of wild mammal taken directly from the field.