TISSUE AND GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITES OF COLONIZING NINE-BANDED ARMADILLOS AT THE EDGE OF THEIR NORTHERN RANGE.

Originally endemic to South America, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has recently expanded its range northward to Illinois. With this range expansion comes concern regarding potential incoming pathogens; our research, conducted during 2012-2020, consisted of screening armadillos for the presence of helminths, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Mycobacterium leprae. We screened for the presence of T.