{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,31]],"date-time":"2026-10-31T05:33:45Z","timestamp":1793424825812,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Wildlife Disease Association","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,24]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis is an emerging pathogen of significance to human and animal health in Canada, yet little is known about key rodent intermediate hosts in local urban ecosystems. In Europe, invasive muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are an important indicator intermediate host species; however, the role of this semiaquatic rodent in the ecology of E. multilocularis is undetermined in the North American context. We examined 93 muskrats that were livetrapped in the spring of 2017 within Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for the presence of E. multilocularis infection. The objectives of this study were to 1) diagnose alveolar echinococcosis using macroscopic assessment, histopathology, and molecular analyses; 2) quantify infection severity; and 3) assess host demographic risk factors for infection. Macroscopic cysts consistent with alveolar echinococcosis were present in 24% of muskrats (22\/93). Most individuals had hepatic cysts; however, cysts were also occasionally detected in the mesentery, reproductive organs, omentum, peritoneum, spleen, diaphragm, lung, or kidney. The mean number of cysts per liver was 2.1 (range, 1\u20134). We examined hepatic cysts from 18 individuals using histology; all had lesions compatible with alveolar echinococcosis. Protoscoleces, indicative of patent infections, were present in 14\/18 (78%). No demographic risk factors (sex, body condition, body mass) were significantly associated with infection. Muskrats in the North American context are competent intermediate hosts with high infection prevalence and may play an important role in the ecology of this emerging parasite.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.7589\/jwd-d-23-00017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,24]],"date-time":"2023-10-24T06:57:46Z","timestamp":1698130666000},"page":"684-693","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["MUSKRATS (ONDATRA ZIBETHICUS) ARE COMPETENT INTERMEDIATE HOSTS OF ECHINOCOCCUS MULTILOCULARIS IN NORTH AMERICA"],"prefix":"10.7589","volume":"59","author":[{"given":"Marian J.","family":"Trudeau","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dayna","family":"Goldsmith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Collin","family":"Letain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative\u2013Alberta Region, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samantha","family":"Stamler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Management Branch, Government of Alberta, 6909 116 St. NW, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 4P2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jamie L.","family":"Rothenburger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"4415","reference":[{"key":"14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"B Gottstein, M Stojkovic, DA Vuitton, et al.  \"Trends Parasitol.\"  31, \"Threat of alveolar echinococcosis to public health\u2014a challenge for Europe.\" 407 (2015)","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2015.06.001"},{"key":"45","unstructured":"A Skelding, A Brooks, M Stalker, et al.  \"Can Vet J.\"  55, \"Hepatic alveolar hydatid disease (Echinococcus multilocularis) in a boxer dog from southern Ontario.\" 551 (2014)"},{"key":"21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"S Kutz  and M Tomaselli  \"Science.\"  364, \"Two-eyed seeing\u201d supports wildlife health.\" 1135 (2019)","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aau6170"},{"key":"5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"CA Bradley  and S Altizer  \"Trends Ecol Evol.\"  22, \"Urbanization and the ecology of wildlife diseases.\" 95 (2007)","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tree.2006.11.001"},{"key":"34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"B Otero-Abad  and PR Torgerson  \"PLoS Negl Trop Dis.\"  7, \"A systematic review of the epidemiology of echinococcosis in domestic and wild animals.\" e2249 (2013)","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0002249"},{"key":"32","unstructured":"\"Basic local alignment search tool (BLAST).\"  (2022)"},{"key":"27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A Massolo, S Liccioli, C Budke, et al.  \"Parasite.\"  21, \"Echinococcus multilocularis in North America: The great unknown.\" 73 (2014)","DOI":"10.1051\/parasite\/2014069"},{"key":"35","unstructured":"AS Peregrine, EJ Jenkins, B Barnes, et al.  \"Can Vet J.\"  53, \"Alveolar hydatid disease (Echinococcus multilocularis) in the liver of a Canadian dog in British Columbia, a newly endemic region.\" 870 (2012)"},{"key":"4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"KM Bouwman  and DM Hawley  \"Biol Lett.\"  6, \"Sickness behaviour acting as an evolutionary trap? 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Webster,  \"Microbes Infect.\"  3, \"Rats, cats, people and parasites: The impact of latent toxoplasmosis on behaviour.\" 1037 (2001)","DOI":"10.1016\/S1286-4579(01)01459-9"}],"container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,31]],"date-time":"2026-10-31T05:13:53Z","timestamp":1793423633000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/bioone.org\/journals\/journal-of-wildlife-diseases\/volume-59\/issue-4\/JWD-D-23-00017\/MUSKRATS-ONDATRA-ZIBETHICUS-ARE-COMPETENT-INTERMEDIATE-HOSTS-OF-ECHINOCOCCUS-MULTILOCULARIS\/10.7589\/JWD-D-23-00017.full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,24]]},"references-count":50,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7589\/jwd-d-23-00017","relation":{},"ISSN":["0090-3558","1943-3700"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0090-3558","type":"print"},{"value":"1943-3700","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,24]]}}}