About This Project

Echinococcus multilocularis is a tapeworm that infects wild canids, such as dogs, foxes, and coyotes. This tapeworm can be passed from infected canids to humans and cause a fatal disease, echinococcosis. When the European variant of this parasite was introduced to North America, we saw a rise of human infections in Canada and the U.S. We want to investigate where the parasite is present in New York and understand how it moves in the ecosystem in efforts to prevent human infection.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Historically, there has been little surveillance for Echinococcus species infections in wild hosts in North America. The introduction of the more infective European variant of E. multilocularis in North America has resulted in a drastic change in the parasite's epidemiology, range, and transmission patterns. The spread of the parasite and increase in prevalence in common hosts like coyotes and foxes present novel opportunities for the parasite to spillover into humans and domestic animals, specifically in urban areas. Surveillance for E. multilocularis in wild hosts is essential for understanding methods to prevent zoonotic spillover and the factors driving these dangerous epidemiological shifts.

What is the significance of this project?

Echinococcosis is beginning to be classified as an emerging zoonotic disease in areas of North America that are have initiated surveillance studies for the parasite in wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. New York State is a newly colonized region in the parasite's range expansion. Lack of public and practitioner knowledge of E. multilocularis limits our ability to track the spread of the parasite and efficiently disseminate public health safety information to at-risk groups. By identifying the distribution of the parasite and the factors that may be driving transmission through wildlife disease surveillance in New York canid (coyote and fox) populations, we can better prevent spillover to domestic animals and humans.

What are the goals of the project?

Our goals extend into researching the ecology and epidemiology of E. mulitlocularis in a novel area (New York State), and efficiently communicating public health information and safety measures to minimize the risk of zoonotic spillover in the northeast. We have been opportunistically sampling wild canids (coyotes and foxes) from across the state for Echinococcus infections. Genetically characterizing the isolated parasites will be done to evaluate the genetic factors that could be driving the spread of the parasite. Our plan is to develop a diagnostic test that can easily differentiate the European and North American variants of the parasite as to alleviate the practical pressures that inhibit routine sampling for this neglected parasite.