This study aimed to describe the occurrence of hepatic capillariasis in two non-human primates of the species Callithrix penicillata that were kept in captivity. Case 1 was in a young female, whose liver presented pale coloring, softening due to autolysis and several noticeably whitish areas. Case 2 was in a male of unknown age, whose liver was slightly pale and brownish. Histological analysis on the samples revealed extensive interstitial fibrosis with hemosiderotic areas. Adult nematodes of Capillaria hepatica and numerous eggs, morphologically characterized by their non-embryonic ellipsoid shape, with bipolar plugs that did not protrude from the shell, thick and birefringent, with a porous layer, thus giving a striated appearance to the eggs. Some cystic formations presented nematode eggs surrounded by numerous foreign-body giant cells. The literature consulted made little reference to reports of Capillaria hepatica in non-human primates. However, similar infections have been extensively studied in domestic rodents.

Nematode eggs in liver tissues of two wild rats were recorded atthe Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Kota Bharu from 2014 to 2015. A total of 15 (2014) and 48 (2015) wild rats were examined by the laboratory for routine screening of zoonotic pathogens such as Leptospira sp. and others. On histological examination of the haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained liver tissues, masses of parasitic nematode eggs were observed. The shell of the eggsis striated with shallow polar prominences at either end. Numerous mini-pores can be seen on the outer shell as well. The eggswere identified as Capillaria hepatica (C. hepatica) nematode eggs, which causes hepatic capillariasis in rodents and numerous other mammal species, including humans. The wild rats were alsoshown to harbour Salmonella enteritidis from the intestine, E. coli from the lung and liver but none had leptospirosis by PCR. The purpose of this report is to highlight a common nematode of wildrats that is Capillaria hepatica infection in wild rats in Kelantan diagnosed by the Kota Bharu Regional Laboratory, in orderto create the awareness on concurrent parasitic infections which may cause reduced immunity thereby creating higher risk for other zoonotic pathogens such as leptospirosis.

Rodents particularly those belonging to the Muridae family in Malaysia have been well studied because of their medical and economic importance. Much of the work on rodents has been focusing on the identification of endo and ecto parasites. Parasites in rats (Murids) particularly helminthes belonging to the Nematoda family have been described by many workers for more than a century. This
paper is an attempt to compile 50 papers on rodent nematodes that has been published in various scientific journals over the last
100 years in Malaysia. It is hoped that this literature overview on rodent nematodes will come useful as a reference material for the budding parasitologist and biology scientist.