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Incidence of dental lesions in musk shrews (Suncus murinus) and their association with sex, age, body weight and diet

Lab Animal volume 42, pages 422–426 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Both wild and laboratory strains of the musk shrew (Suncus murinus) have a high incidence of periodontitis. The authors completed necropsy examinations in 51 shrews to identify dental lesions including tooth loss, mobility and fractures. Dental lesions were identified in significantly more females than males, and older animals were more likely to have lesions present. Shrews with one or more dental lesions weighed significantly less than those without lesions present. Dietary supplementation with mealworms did not significantly affect the incidence of dental lesions or the body weight of male or female shrews. The authors recommend routine body weight measurement as a simple, noninvasive method of detecting shrews with an increased likelihood of having dental lesions.

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Figure 1: Shrew with multiple dental lesions, including fractured maxillary incisor tooth and missing mandibular incisor tooth.
Figure 2: Distributions of body weights of male (a) and female (b) shrews with and without dental lesions.
Figure 3

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Acknowledgements

We thank Elizabeth Esken, Theresa Fennell, Amanda Furman, Teresa Garrett, Sandra Matthews, Emily Smith and Samantha Spitak for technical assistance. This research received no external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory Animal Resources, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

    Emily S. Dudley &  Gregory P. Boivin

  2. Statistical Consulting Center, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

    Beverly K. Grunden

  3. Bigger Road Veterinary Clinic, Kettering, OH

    Conan Crocker

  4. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

    Gregory P. Boivin

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  1. Emily S. Dudley
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  2. Beverly K. Grunden
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  4. Gregory P. Boivin
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Correspondence to Emily S. Dudley.

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Dudley, E., Grunden, B., Crocker, C. et al. Incidence of dental lesions in musk shrews (Suncus murinus) and their association with sex, age, body weight and diet. Lab Anim 42, 422–426 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.408

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