Epidemiological and epizoological characteristics of rodent (Mammalia: Rodentia) helminths in Lankaran natural region of Azerbaijan Republic

9 species of rodents belonging to the families Muridae and Cricetidae have been caught in different habitats of Lankaran natural region (dry steppe semi-desert habitats, humid subtropical temperate climate habitats, humid subtropical medium climate habitats, warm broad-leaved forest habitats, mountain forest steppe habitats and mountain steppe habitats) and dissected according to the complete helminthological autopsy method developed by K. I. Skryabin. These rodents are: brown rat Rattus norvegicus, house mouse Mus musculus L., wood mouse Apodemus (sylvaemus) sylvaticus L., grey hamster Cricetulus migratorius, Persian jird Meriones persicus, Tristram’s jird M. blackleri, European water vole Arvicola terrestris L., common vole Microtus arvalis and social vole M. socialis. We found members of 47 helminth species in the dissected rodents, including 7 species of trematodes, 14 species of cestodes, 25 species of nematodes and 1 species of acanthocephalus. Of these, 26 species were biohelminths and 21 species were geohelminths. For these helminth species, we conducted epidemiological and epizootological potential assessment; 10 helminth species were found to be of epidemiological and epizootological significance, because they infect humans and domestic animals. Out of all the trematodes, Gastrodiscoides hominis has epidemiological significance for humans and epizootological significance for domestic pigs, while Echinostoma mijagawai has epizootological significance for domestic waterfowl (ducks and geese). Among the cestodes, adult Taenia hydatigena and Alveococcus multilocularis have epizootological significance for dogs and cats, while their larvae have epidemiological significance for humans and epizootological significance for even-toed ungulates; Hydatigera taeniaeformis has epidemiological significance for humans and epizootological significance for dogs and cats; Taenia pisiformis has epizootological significance for cats; Hymenolepis diminuta has epidemiological significance for humans. One of the nematodes, Hepaticola hepatica, has epidemiological significance for humans and epizootological significance for dogs and cats. Syphacia obvelata has epidemiological significance for humans; one type of acanthocephalus — Moniliformis moniliformis — has epidemiological significance for humans and epizootological significance for dogs and cats.