Raccoon Roundworm in Raccoons in Central West Virginia

Abstract

We investigated the occurrence of raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) in common raccoons (Procyon lotor) in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia during spring (n = 9, April–June) and fall (n = 5, August–October) 2001 and spring (n = 7) and fall (n = 4) 2002. We found no evidence of B. procyonis infection in 25 raccoons sampled by fecal floatation and necropsy methodologies. However, we did detect Capillaria sp. eggs in 28% and Strongyloides sp. eggs in 64% of individual raccoons, respectively. Baylisascaris procyonis has been implicated in population declines of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) in the northeastern United States. The low prevalence of B. procyonis in an area inhabited by what is believed to be a stable population of Allegheny woodrats supports conservation measures to continue to monitor anthropogenic activities that potentially may increase the prevalence of B. procyonis or raccoon interaction with Allegheny woodrats in the region.