Prevalence of <i>Blatticola blattae</i> (Thelastomatidae) in German cockroaches <i>Blattella germanica</i> in Japan

Abstract

A survey for nematode infection in German cockroaches captured in restaurants in various areas of Japan as well as the laboratory-bred colony was carried out. The nematodes were then identified morphologically and molecularly. Of the 320 German cockroaches collected at 79 restaurants in 26 prefectures in Japan, 66.6% (213/320) were found to be parasitized by a single species of pinworm in the hindgut. The mean number of pinworms per cockroach was less than 1.6. Of the three laboratory-bred lines of cockroaches examined, 2 lines (NIID and NK) were found to be infected with a single species of nematode. The prevalence was 93.0% (40/43) and 84.8% (39/46), respectively. The other laboratory line (WAT) was found to be free of the nematode infection. The nematode detected in this study was identified as Blatticola blattae. This is the first report of B. blattae infection in German cockroaches in Japan. Our study showed that B. blattae is distributed all over Japan together with its host Blattella germanica. An experimental infection with B. blattae in nematode-free cockroach by contaminating the rearing environment with infected-cockroach feces showed that once the environment of the cockroach is contaminated with B. blattae eggs, the pinworm infection could spread easily.

Infection With The Pinworm Blatticola Blattae And Survival of Starving German Cockroaches, Blattella Germanica

“…The German cockroach is an important sanitary insect pest that is widely found in urban human living spaces worldwide. In addition, numerous studies have indicated that B. blattae is a common nematode parasite of the German cockroach (Adamson and Waerebeke 1992;Jarry 1964;Tsai and Cahill 1970;Kobayashi et al 2021). The results of the present study suggest that B. blattae infection enhances the survival of German cockroaches.…”

“…The German cockroach, Blattella germanica, is frequently infected with the pinworm, Blatticola blattae (Kobayashi et al 2021). Although pinworm infection is common among cockroaches worldwide, few reports have described the effects of parasite infection on the insect host.…”

“…In order to investigate the effects of nematode infection in cockroaches, it is necessary to control the pinworm infection. Kobayashi et al (2021) reported that German cockroaches can be easily infected with B. blattae via contact with feces from pinworm-infected cockroaches. Anthelmintics of pyrantel pamoate and pyrvinium pamoate were reported to be effective for deworming B. blattae in the German cockroaches, without causing mortality for the host (Kobayashi et al 2020).…”

Identification of Intestinal Helminths in Cockroaches found in Selected Public Market of Davao City

“…The movement and trade of animals, fruits, vegetables, and other products within the market premises allow the introduction and dissemination of these parasites. In a study conducted by Amawulu et al in Yenagoa Metropolis, Nigeria, the researchers found that helminth eggs contaminate the fruits purchased in public markets, with Ascaris lumbricoides being one of the intestinal parasite species recovered on fruits (Kobayashi et al, 2020) . This aligns with the study conducted by Vizon et al in 2019, which revealed that Ascaris lumbricoides and Hookworm contaminate green-leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, and Chinese cabbage sold in public markets in Nueva Ecija, Philippines.…”

A New Genus and Species of Nematode (Oxyurida, Thelastomatoidea) from the Chinese Medicinal Cockroach, Eupolyphaga sinensis (Walker, 1868)

“…Thelastomatoids live in the hindgut of the host and usually feed upon the gut microfauna. Thelastomatoids have been studied in many countries and regions around the world [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Adamson and van Waerebeke [2] diagnosed 27 genera and provided a list of 174 species in the family, Thelastomatidae.…”