Source: IT
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: A new European study has found widespread spread of raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) in wild raccoon populations across nine European countries, with very high infection rates.
About Raccoon roundworm:
What it is?
- Raccoon roundworm is a zoonotic parasitic infection caused by the nematode Baylisascaris procyonis, which primarily infects raccoons but can accidentally infect humans and other animals, causing severe neurological and ocular damage.
Origin:
- Native to North America, where raccoons are natural hosts.
- Spread to Europe through import of raccoons for pets and fur farms in the early 20th century.
- Escaped raccoons established wild populations, carrying the parasite with them
Found in:
- Primary host: Raccoons (Procyon lotor).
- Other animals: Dogs, birds, rodents, and small mammals (as accidental hosts).
- Geographic spread:
- North America (endemic).
- Europe (now established in at least nine countries, Germany as epicentre).
- India: Not established due to absence of wild raccoon populations.
Symptoms in humans:
Human infection is rare but often severe due to larval migration:
- Early symptoms: Nausea, fatigue, liver enlargement.
- Neurological signs: Loss of coordination, reduced attention, muscle weakness.
- Severe outcomes:
- Ocular larva migrans: Blindness.
- Neural larva migrans: Brain damage, coma, death.
- High-risk group: Children (soil contact, poor hand hygiene)
Key features:
- Extremely hardy eggs:
- Eggs become infectious after 2–4 weeks in soil.
- Can survive for years in the environment.
- High reproductive output: Adult worms release millions of eggs in raccoon faeces.
- Difficult diagnosis: No widely available definitive tests in humans.
- High severity, low frequency: Rare infections, but disproportionately serious outcomes.
