First report of Echinococcus multilocularis in urban and rural coyotes (Canis latrans) from Alberta, Canada.

Hunted and road-killed coyotes (n = 90) were collected in 2009/2010 from urban, peri-urban or rural sites within or adjacent to Calgary (n = 83) and Edmonton (n = 7). Full necropsy to determine cause of death and the prevalence of infectious or parasitic diseases was carried out. Parasitological investigation included collection in 70% ethanol of all gastrointestinal helminthes by separately washing and sieving the contents of the small and large intestine. Echinococcus sp. was found in 22 (24.4%) animals. Of these, 18 (21.7%) were from Calgary and 4 (57%) from Edmonton. Following initial light microscopic sampling, species identification was confirmed by multiplex PCR on adult parasites. Other parasites isolated and identified on morphology included: Toxascaris leonina, Uncinaria sternocephala, Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma caninum, Pterygodermatites sp., Taenia sp., and Alaria sp. E. multilocularis is a zoonotic agent, responsible of alveolar echinococcosis in humans. So far, very few parasitological analyses have been conducted on coyotes in Canada. A comparable survey carried out in southwestern Manitoba in 1978 found a prevalence of 23% in 43 coyotes. However, the only previously reported survey for helminthes in Alberta, dating from 1968, reported no Echinococcus species in 75 animals. This suggests that E. multilocularis may be expanding its geographical range in wild canids in western Canada. The presence of this parasite within urban areas poses a potential transmission risk among coyotes, dogs and humans that warrants further investigation and development of a predictive approach to disease emergence, as well the implementation of preventive strategies.