Survey of Baylisascaris spp. in Eastern Tennessee Wildlife and Detection of Baylisascaris spp. Eggs in Virginia Opossum ( Didelphis virginiana) Feces

Richard W Gerhold; Katherine Kurth; Al Claiborne; Alycia Chapman; Graham Hickling

doi:10.7589/2017-12-303

Survey of Baylisascaris spp. in Eastern Tennessee Wildlife and Detection of Baylisascaris spp. Eggs in Virginia Opossum ( Didelphis virginiana) Feces

J Wildl Dis. 2018 Oct;54(4):874-876. doi: 10.7589/2017-12-303. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

Authors

Richard W Gerhold^{1

2}, Katherine Kurth¹, Al Claiborne², Alycia Chapman¹, Graham Hickling³

Affiliations

¹ 1 Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
² 2 College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
³ 3 Center for Wildlife Health, Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, 2505 Chapman Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.

PMID: 29902128
DOI: 10.7589/2017-12-303

Abstract

We analyzed 69 eastern Tennessee wildlife samples for Baylisascaris spp. during 2011. The prevalence of Baylisascaris spp. in raccoons ( Procyon lotor) was 16% (8/49), an increase compared to previous surveys in this region. One Virginia opossum ( Didelphis virginiana) had eggs in its feces, indicating that opossums can play a role in Baylisascaris spp. transmission.

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild*
Ascaridida Infections / epidemiology
Ascaridida Infections / parasitology
Ascaridida Infections / veterinary*
Ascaridoidea*
Carnivora / parasitology
Didelphis / parasitology*
Feces / parasitology*
Tennessee