PREVALENCE OF ENDOPARASITES IN BANDICOTA BENGALENSIS DURING DIFFERENT GROWTH STAGES OF RICE AND WHEAT CROPS IN PUNJAB Kajalpreet Kaur*, Rajwinder Singh and Neena Singla Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana - 144 005, India. *e-mail: kajalpreetkaur89@gmail.com (Received 12 March 2019, Accepted 30 April 2019) ABSTRACT : The bandicoot rats of both sexes were collected from village Dhatt, Punjab, India during 2016-17 at five growth stages (tillering, panicle initiation, dough, pre-harvesting, lean period) of rice and wheat crops, dissected and inspected from liver and small/large intestines for presence of endoparasites. Higher per cent of infected rats were found in wheat as compared to rice crop. Female rats were found to be more infected with various endoparasites than males in rice crop whereas in wheat crop male rats were found to be more infected as compared to females which results that host gender has signiûcant effect on parasite infection patterns due to physiological differences. In rice crop, maximum infected rats were found in lean period with helminth Hymenolepis nana, Cysticercus fasciolaris, Capillaria hepatica, Syphacia obvelata and nematodal larvae in concurrence with each other, whereas it was maximum during tillering stage in wheat crop with addition to Trichuris muris. Our study concludes that as B. bengalensis lives in close association with human habitations, it may act as an important source of zoonotic infections and thus due care should be taken to avoid direct or indirect contact with excrements and carcasses of this pest species. Key words : Bandicota bengalensis, rice, wheat, endoparasites. INTRODUCTION The order Rodentia constitute the most successful mammalian group both in terms of number of species and individuals. Rodents act as a vital component in various ecosystems either acting as a prey to its predator or as a carrier and reservoir of diseases (Okoye and Obiezue, 2008). They are cosmopolitan in distribution and have the ability to adapt to a wide variety of habitats (Prashad, 1999). They are abundant and live in close association with humans in order to obtain their basic survival needs such as food and shelter. Their predatory and depredatory habits have a prominent impact on human economics, and potentially more seriously, they are major vectors of human and domestic animal diseases worldwide (Anantaraman, 1966; Huq et al, 1985). The lesser bandicoot rat, Bandicota bengalensis is the predominant rodent pest species found throughout South-East Asia in both agricultural and commensal situations. Individual rats are mostly infected with more than one species of parasites (Singla et al, 2008, 2013). The eggs of these parasites are passed out in rodent droppings in fields, grain stores and amongst food stuffs in houses and are responsible for diseases spread (Khatoon et al, 2004). Their ability to act as a vector is greatly enhanced due to their physiological similarities which they share with humans (Kataranovski et al, 2010). Hence, increased rodent population in an area could be directly related to increased zoonotic diseases in human population (Stojcevic et al, 2004). Rice and wheat compromise 80% of total cereal production and important in food security for tremendously increasing population and have vital role in our economy and country trade (Khan et al, 2003; Anonymous, 2005). Khan and Razvi (2000) reported that B. bengalensis is the most widespread in distribution; it causes serious economic losses in growing crops such as rice, wheat, sugarcane and groundnuts. There are more than 60 rodent borne zoonoses (disease that effect human), within the crop growing agricultural zones i.e. , leptospirosis and hantaviruses that causes haemorrhagic diseases; the plague ( Yersinia pestis ), rat typhus (Rickettsia sp.) and neuro-angiastrongliasisetc (Gratz, 1996; Mills, 1999; Prociv et al, 2000; Singleton et al, 2003). The objective of the present study was to monitor the prevalence of endoparasites in liver, small and large intestine of rodents from village Dhatt, District Ludhiana, Punjab State, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 55 individuals of lesser bandicoot rat, Bandicota bengalensis were live-captured from rice and wheat crop fields of village Dhatt, district Ludhiana, J. Exp. Zool. India Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 969-973, 2019 www.connectjournals.com/jez ISSN 0972-0030