Journal
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Volume 90, Issue 8, Pages 1023-1030Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1139/Z2012-070
Keywords
Alberta; Canada; urban coyotes; Canis latrans; gastrointestinal parasites; zoonoses
Categories
Funding
- City of Calgary Animal Bylaw Service
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
- University of Calgary (UofC)
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health
- Alberta Innovates and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Disease ecology is a relevant but relatively unexplored subject of research in urban coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823). In fact, this carnivore may play a role in the circulation of parasites that can have implications on the health of humans and domestic dogs, but can also be affected by pathogens transmitted from domestic reservoirs. To investigate the gastrointestinal parasites of urban coyotes in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, we analyzed 61 carcasses and 247 fecal samples collected within the metropolitan area, including city parks, in 2009-2010. We found nine parasite taxa: Toxascaris leonina (Linstow, 1902), Uncinaria stenocephala (Railliet, 1884), Ancylostoma caninum (Ercolani, 1859), Pterygodermatites affinis (Jagerskiold, 1904), Trichuris vulpis (Froelich, 1789), Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863, Taenia crassiceps (Zeder, 1800), genus Giardia Kunstler, 1882, and genus Cystoisospora Frenkel, 1977. Factors related to coyote ecology, habitat characteristics, and dog management likely influence the community of coyote parasites in an urban environment, and need to be taken into account to assess the actual role of this carnivore in the maintenance of parasites in the city landscape. Further research is needed to assess the current risk for transmission of potentially zoonotic parasites (e.g., E. multilocularis, T. crassiceps, Giardia sp.) among coyotes, dogs, and humans.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available