Table 7 Antifilarial activity of Alnus nepalensis and DEC against Brugia malayi in
jirds (Meriones unguicuIatus).
Indian desert jird populations were not found over the loose, shifting sand dunes; they prefer sandy plains and inter-dunal flats where they make extensive and deep burrow systems.
In the sandy habitat, Indian desert jird was found to be the most common rodent while hairy-footed gerbil populations were found to be the next in the order of abundance in this habitat.
The genotypes in group F were isolated from 6 animal species: large Egyptian gerbils, fat-tailed gerbils, fat sand rats (Psammomys obesus), lesser Egyptian jerboas, greater Egyptian jerboas, and bushy-tailed
jirds; those in genogroup G were isolated from a bushy-tailed
jird and a large Egyptian gerbil (Figure).
Yersinia pestis was isolated from bone marrow of the camel and from
jirds (Meriones libycus) and fleas Xenopsylla cheopis captured at the camel corral.
We have previously characterized this strain and maintained it by serial passage through
jirds (Meriones unguiculatus) and ticks.
Besides these small mammals relict populations of bush rat (Golunda elioti), Baluchistan gerbil (Gerbillus nanus), Indian hairy-footed gerbil (Gerbillus gleadowi ) and Indian desert
jird (Meriones hurrianae) occur in central Punjab (Taber et al., 1967; Hassan and Beg, 2005).