Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Bade, Simon R
• Jimenez, F. Agustin
• Poole, Aaron K
• Feldhamer, George A

Titel

Prevalence of Baylisascaris procyonis and implications for reintroduced woodrat populations in Southern Illinois

Ist Teil von

• Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science, 2012-01, Vol.105 (1-2), p.33

Ort / Verlag

Springfield: Illinois State Academy of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2012

Quelle

EZB Free E-Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis (Nematoda: Ascaridae) is carried and spread by raccoons (Procyon lotor). In intermediate hosts the parasite can cause brain damage and death. The prevalence of B. procyonis in raccoon populations is a concern in areas where the state-endangered eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana) occurs or has been reintroduced because the foraging and hoarding strategies of woodrats ("packrats") make them particularly susceptible to infection. To determine the prevalence of this parasite and the possible implications for reintroduced eastern woodrats, we established 10 transects from Garden of the Gods (Saline County) east to Rim Rock/Pounds Hollow (Gallatin County) where woodrats have been reintroduced in Illinois. Raccoon latrine sites were visually located along these transects and scat piles sampled and analyzed using Fecalyzer flotation kits. Of 79 total fecal samples, only 1 tested positive for B. procyonis. This low prevalence (1.3%) for B. procyonis suggests that it likely poses little risk to the reintroduced woodrat populations within the study area.