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Wildlife Health Alert
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' Wildlife Health Program is issuing this wildlife health alert to highlight the detection of the parasite Echinococcus multilocularis in Rowan County. This marks the first known instance of E. multilocularis in Kentucky.
The infected animal was an adult female coyote. The coyote was extremely emaciated and co-infected with canine heartworm. Tissues were collected and reserved for Echinococcus screening. Testing conducted by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study confirmed the presence of E. multilocularis in the coyote.
E. multilocularis, commonly referred to as the small fox tapeworm or fox tapeworm, which utilizes a canid-rodent lifecycle. Canids, such as red and gray foxes, coyotes, and domestic dogs, serve as definitive hosts in the parasite's life cycle. Adult tapeworms in definitive hosts shed eggs that are dispersed through the feces of infected animals. The eggs become ingested by intermediate hosts such as rodents (e.g., mice, voles, and muskrats), before hatching in the small intestine of the intermediate host, releasing larvae. These larvae then penetrate the intestinal wall and migrate to various organs, especially the liver, where they form fluid-filled cysts called metacestodes or hydatid cysts. The life cycle continues when a definitive host (canid) preys upon an infected intermediate host (rodent), ingesting the cysts. This is a zoonotic tapeworm that can infect humans as well as many other non-target hosts with notably high mortality rates among non-canid infected hosts.
Wild canids and domestic dogs infected with E. multilocularis typically remain asymptomatic and rarely develop internal cysts unlike in the intermediate host. Cysts associated with E. multilocularis larvae develop slowly, and infected animals may not display any symptoms for extended periods, sometimes years. However, if symptoms do arise, they may include abdominal pain, weight loss, weakness, and indications of liver disease.
Humans can become infected with E. multilocularis, contracting the parasite through accidental ingestion of E. multilocularis eggs present in the feces or on the fur of wild and domestic canines, or in contaminated food and water. Infections of E. multilocularis in people can lead to alveolar echinococcosis, a severe and potentially life-threatening disease if left untreated.
The Wildlife Health Program requests that officials in wildlife management and providers in wildlife health, domestic animal health, and public health remain vigilant for the presence of E. multilocularis in affected animals or people at risk of contracting the parasite.
If you suspect wildlife in your care or posession to be infected with E. multilocularlis, report the animal to the Wildlife Health Program.
To monitor for the presence of E. multilocularis, the Wildlife Health Program is collecting red and gray fox, coyote, and muskrat carcasses from Rowan County and its bordering counties to examine for the presence of E. multilocularis. If you would like to contribute a carcass to support these efforts, email wildlifehealth@ky.gov to coordinate a carcass pickup.
For more information, incuding health and safety guidance and resources, visit the Echinococcus multilocularis webpage.