Emerging Echinococcus tapeworms: fecal PCR detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in 26 dogs from the United States and Canada (2022-2024).

Objective: To report quantitative PCR (qPCR) detection of Echinococcus multilocularis DNA in fecal samples from 26 dogs in the US and Canada.

Animals: 26 dogs with fecal samples submitted for parasite screening by qPCR.

Clinical Presentation: Dog signalment, presenting concern, preventive care, and outcomes were obtained from the primary veterinarian via email or telephone, where available.

Identification of Trichinella taxa by ITS-1 amplicon next-generation sequencing with an improved resolution for detecting underrepresented genotypes in mixed natural infections.

Background: Amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) has rapidly gained popularity as a powerful method for delineating taxa in complex communities, including helminths. Here, we applied this approach to identify species and genotypes of zoonotic nematodes of the Trichinella genus. A known limitation of the current multiplex PCR (mPCR) assay recommended by the International Commission on Trichinellosis is that it does not differentiate Trichinella nativa from T.

and related Sarcocystidae parasites in harvested caribou from Nunavik, Canada.

Caribou are keystone species important for human harvest and of conservation concern; even so, much is unknown about the impact of parasites on caribou health and ecology. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence, tissue prevalence, and diversity of tissue-dwelling coccidian parasites (including , and spp.) in 88 migratory caribou () harvested for human consumption in two communities in Nunavik, Québec, Canada.

California Serogroup Viruses in a Changing Canadian Arctic: A Review.

The Arctic is warming at four times the global rate, changing the diversity, activity and distribution of vectors and associated pathogens. While the Arctic is not often considered a hotbed of vector-borne diseases, Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) and Snowshoe Hare virus (SSHV) are mosquito-borne zoonotic viruses of the California serogroup endemic to the Canadian North. The viruses are maintained by transovarial transmission in vectors and circulate among vertebrate hosts, both of which are not well characterized in Arctic regions.

Novel molecular diagnostic (PCR) diagnosis and outcome of intestinal Echinococcus multilocularis in a dog from western Canada.

Objective: To describe the novel PCR diagnosis and outcome of intestinal Echinococcus multilocularis in a dog.

Animal: A 13-month-old female intact dog with naturally occurring intestinal E multilocularis.

Clinical Presentation, Progression, And Procedures: The 13-month-old dog initially presented with a reduced appetite and weight loss and then developed hematochezia.

Combining deep sequencing and conventional molecular approaches reveals broad diversity and distribution of fleas and Bartonella in rodents and shrews from Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems.

Background: Bartonella are intracellular bacteria that are transmitted via animal scratches, bites and hematophagous arthropods. Rodents and their associated fleas play a key role in the maintenance of Bartonella worldwide, with > 22 species identified in rodent hosts. No studies have addressed the occurrence and diversity of Bartonella species and vectors for small mammals in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems, which are increasingly impacted by invasive species and climate change.

New geographic records for in coyotes and moose from Nova Scotia, Canada.

spp. tapeworms can cause serious diseases in mammals, including humans. Within the species complex, metacestodes produce unilocular cysts that are responsible for cystic echinococcosis in animal intermediate hosts.

Evidence of Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus) Survival Following Exposure to Rabies Virus.

The arctic fox variant of the rabies virus (RABV) is enzootic in the circumpolar north. Reports of abortive RABV exposures motivated a retrospective analysis of sera from 41 arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) captured at Karrak Lake in Nunavut, Canada, during 2011-15. Estimated RABV antibody prevalence among foxes was 15% (95% confidence interval, 7-28%).

Host and geographic differences in prevalence and diversity of gastrointestinal helminths of foxes (), coyotes () and wolves () in Québec, Canada.

Wild canids are hosts to a wide range of parasites and can play a role in transmission of zoonoses. As many parasites are transmitted through food webs, and wild canids are at high trophic levels, parasite prevalence and diversity in wild canids can serve as excellent indicators of ecosystem health. Our main objectives were to update knowledge on the composition of gastrointestinal helminths in wild canids from Québec, Canada, and to describe differences in parasite prevalence and diversity among canid species and regions.

Copro-polymerase chain reaction has higher sensitivity compared to centrifugal fecal flotation in the diagnosis of taeniid cestodes, especially Echinococcus spp, in canids.

Prompt and reliable diagnostic tests for taeniid infection in canids are important due to the risk of zoonoses like Echinococcus spp. Current diagnostic methods relying on fecal flotation lack sensitivity and specificity, but this has rarely been quantified due to the challenges in performing adult cestode recovery (the gold standard) in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Therefore, we recovered adult Taenia and Echinococcus spp.

High prevalence, intensity, and genetic diversity of Trichinella spp. in wolverine (Gulo gulo) from Yukon, Canada.

Background: Species of Trichinella are globally important foodborne parasites infecting a number of domestic and wild vertebrates, including humans. Free-ranging carnivores can act as sentinel species for detection of Trichinella spp. Knowledge of the epidemiology of these parasites may help prevent Trichinella spp.

A repeatable and quantitative DNA metabarcoding assay to characterize mixed strongyle infections in horses.

Horses are ubiquitously infected by a diversity of gastro-intestinal parasitic helminths. Of particular importance are nematodes of the family Strongylidae, which can significantly impact horse health and performance. However, knowledge about equine strongyles remains limited due to our inability to identify most species non-invasively using traditional morphological techniques.

Parasites of an Arctic scavenger; the wolverine ( ).

Parasites are fundamental components within all ecosystems, shaping interaction webs, host population dynamics and behaviour. Despite this, baseline data is lacking to understand the parasite ecology of many Arctic species, including the wolverine ( ), a top Arctic predator and scavenger. Here, we combined traditional count methods (i.

Hopping species and borders: detection of Bartonella spp. in avian nest fleas and arctic foxes from Nunavut, Canada.

Background: In a warmer and more globally connected Arctic, vector-borne pathogens of zoonotic importance may be increasing in prevalence in native wildlife. Recently, Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat scratch fever, was detected in blood collected from arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) that were captured and released in the large goose colony at Karrak Lake, Nunavut, Canada. This bacterium is generally associated with cats and cat fleas, which are absent from Arctic ecosystems.

Molecular Evidence for Local Acquisition of Human Alveolar Echinococcosis in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a life-threatening parasitic disease caused by the zoonotic cestode Echinococcus multilocularis. Our goals were to confirm infection, identify species, and analyze biogeographical origin of metacestode tissues from a suspected human AE case in Saskatchewan, Canada. We conducted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the nad1 mitochondrial gene for E.

Toxocara spp. in dogs and cats in Canada.

Toxocara spp. (T. canis and T.

TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS OF IN ARCTIC FOXES (): A LONG-TERM MARK-RECAPTURE SEROLOGIC STUDY AT KARRAK LAKE, NUNAVUT, CANADA.

Transmission dynamics of , a parasite of importance for wildlife and human health, are enigmatic in the Arctic tundra, where free-ranging wild and domestic felid definitive hosts are absent and rarely observed, respectively. Through a multiyear mark-recapture study (2011-17), serosurveillance was conducted to investigate transmission of in Arctic foxes () in the Karrak Lake region, Nunavut, Canada. Sera from adult foxes and fox pups were tested for antibodies to by using serologic methods, including the indirect fluorescent antibody test, direct agglutination test, and modified agglutination test.

Echinococcus in wild canids in Québec (Canada) and Maine (USA).

Zoonotic Echinococcus spp. cestodes (E. canadensis and E.

Tongue has higher larval burden of Trichinella spp. than diaphragm in wolverines (Gulo gulo).

Trichinella is an important zoonotic parasite found in a range of wildlife species harvested for food and fur in Canada. We compared larval intensity from tongue and diaphragm, the best predilection sites in other animal species, from naturally infected, wild wolverines (Gulo gulo) (n = 95). Muscle larvae of Trichinella spp.

Pathology, clinical signs, and tissue distribution of in experimentally infected reindeer ().

is a zoonotic parasite found in vertebrates worldwide for which felids serve as definitive hosts. Despite low densities of felids in northern Canada, Inuit people in some regions show unexpectedly high levels of exposure, possibly through handling and consumption of Arctic wildlife. Free-ranging caribou () are widely harvested for food across the Canadian North, show evidence of seroexposure to , and are currently declining in numbers throughout the Arctic.

Multi-scale occupancy approach to estimate Toxoplasma gondii prevalence and detection probability in tissues: an application and guide for field sampling.

Increasingly, birds are recognised as important hosts for the ubiquitous parasite Toxoplasma gondii, although little experimental evidence exists to determine which tissues should be tested to maximise the detection probability of T. gondii. Also, Arctic-nesting geese are suspected to be important sources of T.

Toxoplasmosis and Toxocariasis: An Assessment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Comorbidity and Health-Care Costs in Canada.

Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. are zoonotic parasites with potentially severe long-term consequences for those infected. We estimated incidence and investigated distribution, risk factors, and costs associated with these parasites by examining hospital discharge abstracts submitted to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (2002-2011).