Flukes are a common parasite of laboratory animals.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. Sometimes

Answer: (B)

Flukes are not typically encountered as a common parasite in standard laboratory animal colonies. In lab settings, animals such as mice, rats, rabbits, and other commonly used species are kept under strict husbandry and health-monitoring programs that aim to prevent parasitic infections. Flukes are trematodes with life cycles that usually require intermediate hosts (like snails) and often specific environmental conditions, making them unlikely to occur routinely in well-controlled colonies. When parasites are anticipated in lab animals, the focus is usually on more common and easily transmitted parasites, such as pinworms, mites, or certain protozoa, which are more frequently encountered in routine monitoring. So the statement is false: flukes are not a common parasite of laboratory animals. If a fluke infection did occur, it would point to an unusual exposure or a lapse in biosafety and husbandry, not a typical situation.