A parasitic tapeworm known as Echinococcus multilocularis — often called the "fox tapeworm" — has been detected for the first time in West Coast wildlife. University of Washington researchers discovered the tapeworm, which can cause a rare but potentially deadly disease in humans, in 37 out of 100 coyotes sampled near Puget Sound in Washington State. The findings were published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases earlier this year.Researchers noted that the presence of the parasite in wildlife does not mean human infections are common, and that the risk to the general public remains low.NEUROLOGISTS REVEAL THE TOP 3 FOODS TO AVOID TO PROTECT YOUR BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM"The reason that [cases are] so high in coyotes is because they are regularly eating raw rodents, and that is the primary way for them to get infected," said lead author Yasmine Hentati, who recently graduated from the UW with a doctorate in environmental and forest science, in a press release.The study's genetic testing showed the coyotes carried a newer, more infectious European variant that has become the predominant strain in the U.S. and Canada.Prior to the 2010s, the parasitic tapeworm was extremely rare in North America, with cases largely confined to the remote islands in Alaska, the authors said.Over the last 15 years, the parasite has expanded its range, with dog and human infections increasing across the Midwestern U.S. and Canada, according to past reports.5 OF THE TOP SOURCES OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS AND HOW TO PREVENT ITCases in coyotes have been spreading west from the upper Midwest for several years, and infected animals have been found on the West Coast, according to Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist at Memorial Hermann in the Houston area.While Eastern Europe has some cases, the infection is very rarely seen in the U.S., Yancey noted.Most cases of echinococcosis are diagnosed in patients who immigrated from or traveled to Central and East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa."Worldwide, the area with the highest prevalence of human infections with the fox tapeworm is western China," Yancey added.The tapeworm is transmitted among wild animals known as canids — typically cycling from foxes to rodents and back to foxes — and is often referred to as the "fox tapeworm," Yancey told Fox News Digital.Humans can get sick from accidentally ingesting worm eggs after handling contaminated soil or eating contaminated food. They can also get the infection by handling a… [TheTopNews] Read More.
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