List of parasites of the marsh rice rat

A variety of parasites have been recorded from the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris), a semiaquatic rodent found in the eastern and southern United States, north to New Jersey and Kansas and south to Florida and Texas, and in Tamaulipas, far northeastern Mexico.

[3] This may be related to the diverse habitats the rice rat uses and to its omnivorous diet; it eats a variety of animals which may serve as intermediate hosts of various parasites.

[54] In Kinsella's 1988 study in Florida, species diversity was higher in the saltwater marsh (Cedar Key) than the freshwater marsh (Paynes Prairie), but nematodes at Paynes Prairie occurred more commonly[55] and made up the bulk of the parasites found in rice rats there.

[55] Flukes (Trematoda) from the subclass Digenea are common parasites of small mammals with complex life cycles.

[70] In his 1988 study, Kinsella found an unprecedented 21 species of trematodes in Florida marsh rice rats.

The intermediate hosts of these trematodes include a variety of invertebrates, fish, and amphibians, which are eaten by the marsh rice rat.