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A potentially deadly tapeworm has been found in an Ontario dog, just the latest evidence of this parasite’s quiet spread through the province.
Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis) is a parasitic infection targetting wild and domestic canids that can be transmitted to humans through exposure to infected animal feces, and it might be lurking much closer to your home than you’d imagine.
In fact, you may already have been infected years ago and not even know it yet.
These tiny tapeworms grow from 3-6 mm long in the small intestines of canines ranging from wild coyotes, foxes, and wolves to your common household pet dog.
However, transmission to humans is a risk, and there has been at least one confirmed human case in the province in recent years.
A dog recently tested positive for the tapeworm in Peterborough, marking the first confirmed case of an infection in that municipality. Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital confirmed the infection, which can evolve into a potentially fatal disease called alveolar echinococcosis (AE).
Parasitic tapeworm spread by coyotes and foxes found in #Ptbo dog for the first time. Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital warns dog owners of risk of Echinococcus multilocularis, which can cause a rare and potentially fatal disease in humans. https://t.co/u1vrjOxHp4
— kawarthaNOW.com (@kawarthaNOW) November 27, 2024
AE was first detected in dogs in Ontario back in 2012, with the province noting the most recent case (before the Nov. 2024 detection) recorded in 2022.
If transmitted to humans, AE can lurk unnoticed in the body for 5-15 years, going completely unnoticed, before symptoms like weight loss and abdominal pain emerge.
However, by then, it is often too late, with provincial officials warning that “The parasitic cysts grow slowly, so the clinical incubation period can be very long, but AE can be very difficult to treat by the time it is detected due to the invasive growth of the cysts.”
According to Public Health Ontario, “If left untreated, the disease is invariably fatal.”
There has only been a single recorded human infection in Ontario back in 2018. That same year, the province classified Echinococcus multilocularis infection as “a disease of public health significance in Ontario,” requiring those who test positive to immediately report the infection to public health officials.
E. multilocularis specimen removed from a fox in Hungary. U.S. Centres for Disease Control.
News of the parasite’s latest leap from nature to furry friend in Ontario came just days after wildlife advocates Animal Justice and Coyote Watch Canada issued a joint statement asking the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to review or revoke licenses for penned hunting of these wild canids.
The groups filed a formal application seeking legislative review under Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights, citing “the significant public health risks posed by the imminent expansion of penned dog hunting in Ontario.”
In a November statement, the groups warned of the potential for this parasite to spread, stating that “While once exclusively confined to the Arctic, the dangerous parasite infects roughly a quarter of coyotes in Ontario, and is also present in other provinces where it was previously absent.”
“There is a reason penned hunting is banned everywhere else in Canada. Allowing this practice to expand in Ontario poses serious public health risks, including the spread of dangerous diseases,” said lawyer and Animal Justice executive director Camille Labchuk.
The groups warned that hunting dogs used in penned hunts could easily be exposed to the tapeworm and bring it into human homes.
“Coyotes and foxes are chased, maimed, and sometimes killed by dogs during penned training contests, creating significant risks for the spread of diseases and grave suffering,” said Lesley Sampson, executive director of Coyote Watch Canada.
“It is absolutely reckless to expand this abhorrent pastime that puts both wildlife and public health at risk.”
Pet owners are advised to keep their pets clear of animal feces, where E. multilocularis eggs are shed, awaiting a new host to come along.
