Echinococcus multilocularis Infection, Southern Ontario, Canada.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Parasitology
• Zoonotic Disease Epidemiology
• Wildlife Health Surveillance

Background:

• Alveolar echinococcosis, caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, is a severe, often fatal parasitic disease.
• Recent diagnoses in domestic animals and wildlife in southern Ontario raised concerns.
• This region was previously considered free of Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in wild canids in southern Ontario.
• To identify potential infection hotspots and assess zoonotic transmission risks.

Main Methods:

• Fecal samples were collected from 460 wild canids (coyotes and foxes) between 2015 and 2017.
• DNA extraction used a semiautomated magnetic capture probe method.
• Real-time PCR was employed to detect Echinococcus multilocularis DNA.

Main Results:

• A surprising 23% of wild canid fecal samples tested positive for Echinococcus multilocularis DNA.
• A significant infection cluster was identified in the western-central region of Ontario.
• This cluster overlaps with densely populated human areas, indicating potential zoonotic transmission.

Conclusions:

• Echinococcus multilocularis is established in the wild canid population of southern Ontario.
• The identified infection cluster poses a significant public health risk due to potential zoonotic transmission.
• Urgent surveillance and control measures are warranted to mitigate the spread of this parasite.