Roundworm Larvae in Raccoon Latrines | CDC EID

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Volume 17, Number 1–January 2011
Dispatch
Reducing Baylisascaris procyonis Roundworm Larvae in Raccoon Latrines

Kristen Page, Comments to Author James C. Beasley, Zachary H. Olson, Timothy J. Smyser, Mark Downey, Kenneth F. Kellner, Sarah E. McCord, Timothy S. Egan, II, and Olin E. Rhodes, Jr.

Author affiliations: Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, USA (K. Page, M. Downey, S.E. McCord); and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA (J.C. Beasley, Z.H. Olson, T.J. Smyser, K.F. Kellner, T.S. Egan, II, O.E. Rhodes, Jr)

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract
Baylisascaris procyonis roundworms, a parasite of raccoons, can infect humans, sometimes fatally. Parasite eggs can remain viable in raccoon latrines for years. To develop a management technique for parasite eggs, we tested anthelmintic baiting. The prevalence of eggs decreased at latrines, and larval infections decreased among intermediate hosts, indicating that baiting is effective.

The emergence of zoonotic diseases, which account for ≈58% of all infectious diseases in humans, is linked to changing land use and resource consumption patterns (1). Ecosystem disturbances from human population growth and globalization result in rapid spread of zoonotic pathogens (2). Recent integrated approaches to solving global health issues acknowledge that wildlife reservoirs facilitate zoonotic pathogen emergence and emphasize the need for increased collaboration between the ecology and infectious disease communities (2). We describe a multidisciplinary collaboration that used an experimental approach to lower the prevalence, and possibly break the life cycle, of a zoonotic parasite, the Baylisascaris procyonis roundworm.

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Roundworm Larvae in Raccoon Latrines | CDC EID


Suggested Citation for this Article

Page LK, Beasley JC, Olson ZH, Smyser TJ, Downey M, Kellner KF, et al. Reducing Baylisascaris procyonis roundworm larvae in raccoon latrines. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Jan [date cited].
http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/17/1/90.htm


DOI: 10.3201/eid1701.100876

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Kristen Page, Biology Department, Wheaton College, 501 College Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187, USA; email: kristen.page@wheaton.edu