Reduction of Baylisascaris procyonis eggs in raccoon latrines, suburban Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Kristen Page,Timothy J Smyser,Emily Gavard,Elise Dunkerton,Bruce Larkin,Stanley Gehrt

doi:10.3201/eid2012.140977

Abstract

Highlights

Baylisascaris procyonis, a common roundworm of raccoons, causes severe or fatal human infections, often in suburban areas
Anthelmintic bait distribution has been evaluated for managing B. procyonis [5,6]; to our knowledge, no B. procyonis mitigation study has been conducted in urban or suburban landscapes, where the risk for transmission to humans is highest
By modifying an existing mitigation strategy [5] and implementing it in a suburban landscape, we hope to provide wildlife managers and public health officials with a feasible strategy to decrease B. procyonis infection risks for children living in suburban landscapes

Summary

Introduction

Baylisascaris procyonis, a common roundworm of raccoons, causes severe or fatal human infections, often in suburban areas. To evaluate the effectiveness of a baiting strategy requiring minimal labor, we distributed medicated baits near raccoon latrines in suburban Chicago, Illinois, USA. This strategy lowered B. procyonis prevalence in raccoons, possibly reducing risk to humans. Anthelmintic bait distribution has been evaluated for managing B. procyonis [5,6]; to our knowledge, no B. procyonis mitigation study has been conducted in urban or suburban landscapes, where the risk for transmission to humans is highest. The ability of raccoons to exploit both natural and human-dominated landscapes can present challenges for B. procyonis mitigation, given that bait distribution is generally restricted to natural habitats [10]. We distributed baits by hand along transects through forested portions of each site to achieve a relatively even distribution of 1.5/hectare

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion