A parasite that may potentially kill dogs has been discovered for the primary time within the Colorado River in Southern California, a study from University of California, Riverside said.
The parasite is known as Heterobilharzia americana, which is a flatworm more commonly generally known as a liver fluke.
It had previously mainly been present in Texas and other Gulf states, has now spread west.
“Dogs can die from this infection, so we hope to boost public awareness that it’s there,” UC Riverside nematology professor Adler Dillman told the UC Riverside News. “Should you’re swimming within the Colorado River with them, your pets are in peril.”
Researchers with the college headed to Blythe, California, on the border with Arizona, and picked up and tested 2,000 snails on the banks of the Colorado River there after checking out several dogs infected by the parasite had all swum there.
The study said their findings suggest “a wider distribution [of the parasite] than previously reported. Our findings have implications for public health, veterinary medicine, and biodiversity conservation, contributing to developing effective control strategies to stop the spread of this emerging infectious disease.”
“In our study, we successfully confirmed the presence of Heterobilharzia americana for the primary time along the shores of the Colorado River, infecting two species of snails, Galba humilis and Galba cubensis,” the study authors said. “This significant finding marks the westernmost record of this endemic North American schistosome within the U.S. The identification of the parasite in an area with a documented history of canine schistosomiasis emphasizes the persistence and potential expansion of this parasitic threat.”
Heterobilharzia americana is endemic to the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic region of North America, but has also been present in states similar to Indiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and most recently, Utah.
Together with dogs, it may possibly infect mammals similar to raccoons, marsh rabbits, horses, nutria, bobcats, mountain lions and opossums, the study said.
Once contained in the skin, the parasite migrates into the lungs where it may possibly cause hemorrhaging.
“It gets into the veins of the intestinal lining, and that’s where it develops into an adult and mates,” Dillman told the UC Riverside News. “The presence of the adults within the veins isn’t the issue. It’s the eggs that get into the lungs, spleen, liver, and heart. The immune system tries to cope with it, and hard clusters of immune cells called granulomas form. Eventually, the organ tissues stop functioning.”
Eleven dogs in three counties have been confirmed to have the disease, and one has died, the UC Riverside News said, adding that symptoms, including “lack of appetite, and eventually include vomiting, diarrhea, profound weight reduction, and signs of liver disease,” can take months to point out up.
“Treatment typically involves use of multiple medications and shut monitoring of the dog by a veterinarian,” Emily Beeler, a veterinarian with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, told the newspaper.
The parasite could cause swimmer’s itch in humans, but not an infection.
A parasite that may potentially kill dogs has been discovered for the primary time within the Colorado River in Southern California, a study from University of California, Riverside said.
The parasite is known as Heterobilharzia americana, which is a flatworm more commonly generally known as a liver fluke.
It had previously mainly been present in Texas and other Gulf states, has now spread west.
“Dogs can die from this infection, so we hope to boost public awareness that it’s there,” UC Riverside nematology professor Adler Dillman told the UC Riverside News. “Should you’re swimming within the Colorado River with them, your pets are in peril.”
Researchers with the college headed to Blythe, California, on the border with Arizona, and picked up and tested 2,000 snails on the banks of the Colorado River there after checking out several dogs infected by the parasite had all swum there.
The study said their findings suggest “a wider distribution [of the parasite] than previously reported. Our findings have implications for public health, veterinary medicine, and biodiversity conservation, contributing to developing effective control strategies to stop the spread of this emerging infectious disease.”
“In our study, we successfully confirmed the presence of Heterobilharzia americana for the primary time along the shores of the Colorado River, infecting two species of snails, Galba humilis and Galba cubensis,” the study authors said. “This significant finding marks the westernmost record of this endemic North American schistosome within the U.S. The identification of the parasite in an area with a documented history of canine schistosomiasis emphasizes the persistence and potential expansion of this parasitic threat.”
Heterobilharzia americana is endemic to the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic region of North America, but has also been present in states similar to Indiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and most recently, Utah.
Together with dogs, it may possibly infect mammals similar to raccoons, marsh rabbits, horses, nutria, bobcats, mountain lions and opossums, the study said.
Once contained in the skin, the parasite migrates into the lungs where it may possibly cause hemorrhaging.
“It gets into the veins of the intestinal lining, and that’s where it develops into an adult and mates,” Dillman told the UC Riverside News. “The presence of the adults within the veins isn’t the issue. It’s the eggs that get into the lungs, spleen, liver, and heart. The immune system tries to cope with it, and hard clusters of immune cells called granulomas form. Eventually, the organ tissues stop functioning.”
Eleven dogs in three counties have been confirmed to have the disease, and one has died, the UC Riverside News said, adding that symptoms, including “lack of appetite, and eventually include vomiting, diarrhea, profound weight reduction, and signs of liver disease,” can take months to point out up.
“Treatment typically involves use of multiple medications and shut monitoring of the dog by a veterinarian,” Emily Beeler, a veterinarian with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, told the newspaper.
The parasite could cause swimmer’s itch in humans, but not an infection.
