Worms, especially ones that are parasitic can be dangerous for many types of animals. A parasite is a living organism that feeds off of the blood of another living organism. The parasite may live on the outside or the inside of another animal or plant also using it as a shelter. Parasites are typically harmful and will negatively impact the health of the host. The most common parasites you may think of for humans include ticks, lice and parasites transmitted by mosquitoes.
Some of the most dangerous parasites are the ones that are zoonotic. This does not mean they live in zoos or aquariums, rather they thrive on one species or type of animal but can easily switch and infect other species. This makes the spread of infection or disease quick and easy while also allowing the parasite to become resistant to extinction. This is a great adaptation for the parasite, bad for us.
One common zoonotic parasite scientifically goes by Baylisascaris procyonis which is the fancy way to describe raccoon roundworm. Raccoon roundworm is an intestinal parasite, you guessed it mostly commonly found in raccoons. Yes, the cute, trash pandas with masks everyone seems to love. They can be carriers of many parasites like mites, fleas, giardia and toxoplasmosis.
Transmission
In order to contract raccoon roundworm specifically, animals that are commonly prey items for raccoons such as rodents and birds often carry this parasite in the early larval stages (such as eggs) but don’t experience as many side effects as animals infected with adult roundworms. These worms are unable to reproduce outside of the intestinal tract of a raccoon.
Eggs are shed in feces and can remain infectious in the soil for years despite temperature and humidity changes. In the right conditions, they may take up to a month to hatch. The roundworm eggs are transferred to raccoons via ingestion of animals carrying the parasite or by natural foraging where they may be consuming contaminated water, plant matter or small amounts of soil where roundworm eggs typically are. This means the eggs and larvae of raccoon roundworms are more dangerous than the adults and are easily transmitted during this life stage. Nature is in fact scary.
While living in their ideal host, this parasite does not cause raccoons to become ill unless infested with a large quantity. Big populations of adult worms will usually cause an infection followed by potential neurological issues. Other vertebrates however can become sick very quickly with just a few worms. Adolescent worms and eggs can live inside dogs, cats, rodents, birds, humans and many other mammals.
Adult female worms are approximately 8 inches and adult males are around 4 inches long. An adult worm can shed more than 150,000 eggs every day. Depending on how many worms are living inside a host, there could be millions of eggs shed each time a raccoon defecates. These eggs and larvae are so small they can not be seen with the human eye, only under a microscope.
Around 50% of adult raccoons carry the parasite and up to 95% in young raccoons. It is more common in juveniles as they can get the parasitic worms from their mother via accidental ingestion of feces usually during nursing and grooming. Some raccoons may be carriers their whole lives and some may periodically shed the parasite and later reinfect themselves. Infected raccoons can be found all across the United States and since both raccoons and the parasite reproduce rather quickly- transmission risks may be higher in certain areas.
In fact, Cornell Wildlife wrote a great article telling you everything there is to know about raccoon roundworm.
In humans, the parasites do not stay confined to just the intestines as they typically do in raccoons. They may travel through the body visiting different organs causing inflammation and nervous system damage. It is typically diagnosed in children and elderly due to the increased risk factors of ingesting contaminated material in these age groups.
Symptoms
Symptoms in humans can vary depending on the number of worms and where they are located.
Early signs after infection may include stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea. As the worms migrate and multiply- behavioral changes such as increased aggression, seizures, vision issues, neurological deficits and even coma or death are possible. There are some supportive treatments available but proper diagnosis is often difficult, requires special testing and once symptoms become severe enough to seek medical treatment it is sometimes too late to reverse the illness.
For household pets like cats and dogs, dewormers and even monthly oral or topical preventatives can keep them protected.
As you may know, raccoons commonly make homes inside city limits where there is plenty of food, water, shelter and low predator numbers. While they may be cute in passing, raccoons can be destructive, territorial and messy- they are not good roommates who will clean up after themselves… Even if you ask.
Keeping your yard clean and not an appealing place for wildlife to hang out, seek shelter or create nests is a great way to avoid contracting or spreading parasites and zoonotic diseases in general.
- Keep loose trash and debris out of the yard.
- Ensure trash cans have closing lids and are secured where they are unlikely to be knocked over.
- Wash hands after working outside, gardening or dealing with yard waste.
- Avoid feeding outdoor animals such as stray cats as this is a common way to attract raccoons.
- Seal off all entry points such as attics, porches, sheds and doors.
For more about raccoon activity levels and how to keep them at bay, be sure to check out our blog.
Summary
Keep your family, friends and pets safe by maintaining a clean yard and washing your hands. If you find yourself with a raccoon problem, it can be extremely dangerous to try to trap, relocate or even clean up nesting material or feces from raccoons without proper equipment and training. Have the professionals at Prickly Pear do the job for you.