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The Relationship Between Baylisascaris procyonis Prevalence and Raccoon Population Structure
- Source :
- Journal of Parasitology. 95:1314-1320
- Publication Year :
- 2009
- Publisher :
- American Society of Parasitologists, 2009.
-
Abstract
- Parasite transmission is a dynamic process that can be affected by factors including host and parasite population dynamics. Raccoons ( Procyon lotor ) are the definitive host of Baylisascaris procyonis , an intestinal roundworm. Transmission of this parasite has been linked to raccoon behavior and human land-use patterns; however, we do not know the importance of host population structure. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the relationship between raccoon population attributes and prevalence of B. procyonis. We necropsied 307 trapped or road-killed raccoons collected during 2000-2006 from the Chicago area. In addition, we examined, via fecal samples (n = 433), the patterns of B. procyonis prevalence as they relate to population dynamics among 3 subpopulations within the larger study. Baylisascaris procyonis was seen in 39% of 307 necropsied raccoons. There were differences in prevalence as a function of host age and sex. Baylisascaris procyonis was observed in 18% of 433 fecal samples obtained from live-trapped raccoons, and there were differences according to age, but not by sex. We found that the host populations consistently differed in density across study areas, but were similar regarding sex and age structure. Differences in host density were associated with differences in prevalence, suggesting that possible differences between populations, as well as ecological differences in sites and raccoon behavior, may have influenced parasite prevalence.
- Subjects :
- Male
Veterinary medicine
Population
Prevalence
Feces
Age Distribution
Ascaridoidea
parasitic diseases
Animals
Helminths
Parasite hosting
Sex Ratio
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic
Sex Distribution
education
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Chicago
Population Density
Analysis of Variance
education.field_of_study
biology
Transmission (medicine)
Host (biology)
Stomach
Baylisascaris procyonis
biology.organism_classification
Ascaridida Infections
Intestines
Binomial Distribution
Female
Raccoons
Parasitology
Seasons
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19372345 and 00223395
- Volume :
- 95
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Parasitology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a7de53d08d84072820292afb3c623c27