Infection of Raccoon Dogs ( Nyctereutes procyonoides ) from Northern Poland with Gastrointestinal Parasites as a Potential Threat to Human Health

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 11; no. 5; p. 1277
• Main Authors: Pilarczyk, Bogumiła M, Tomza-Marciniak, Agnieszka K, Pilarczyk, Renata, Rząd, Izabella, Bąkowska, Małgorzata J, Udała, Jan M, Tylkowska, Agnieszka, Havryliak, Viktoriia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26-02-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Adults; Animals; Clinical medicine; Dogs; Infections; Parasites; Zoonoses; Poland; Europe; Poland; Echinococcus multilocularis; Toxocara canis; parasitic zoonoses; raccoon dog; Alaria alata
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm11051277

The aim of the study was to determinate the prevalence and intensity of infection of raccoon dogs with internal parasites, with a particular emphasis on particular species of helminths known to be dangerous to humans. A total of 96 raccoon dogs were obtained from hunters from September 2018 to October 2021. The digestive tract was taken for examination. The parasitological examination was performed using the dissection methods. The extensity of infection with all internal parasites was 60.3%. The following parasites were found in the tested animals:
(in 10.42% of animals),
(18.75%),
(25.0%),
spp. (19.79%),
(27.08%),
spp. (54.17%) and
(6.25%). The highest mean intensity of infection was demonstrated by
and
then by
spp. This study showed that the raccoon dog from northern Poland is a reservoir host of zoonotic pathogens, such as
,
and
. Although the role of the racoon dog as a final host of the life cycle of
is considered of less importance than that of the red fox, this species may increase the risk of echinococcosis in humans, mainly due to its growing population in northern Poland.