Prof. Andrew Peregrine did a series of CBC Radio interviews across Ontario on Aug. 14. He talked about a new tapeworm found in foxes and coyotes that could threaten dogs and could spread to humans.
A professor in the Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College, Peregrine explained that the parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis, is new to Ontario and is unlike other tapeworms. The small tapeworm lives in the intestines of foxes or coyotes, which shed the parasite’s eggs into the environment through feces, he explained. Peregrine said rodents or dogs may come into contact with rodents or dogs, and the parasite may pose a threat to humans.
Previously, Peregrine was interviewed about the fox tapeworm by the Toronto Sun, the London Free Press and Global News.
Peregrine studies emerging parasitic infections in animals and people, and drug resistance in parasites of dogs and sheep.