‘The wolf tapeworm’

[bearpaw]

http://www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2006/Echinococcus/main.html

Hydatid disease unlike most parasitic diseases is more prevalent in the northern hemisphere.  Human infection is most common in sheep-raising countries such as Australia and New Zealand, throughout England and Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Northern China, and Japan.  In the Americas the disease is especially prevalent in the Southern Cone countries such as Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, and also occurs in Alaska and Canada.

Alveolar hydatid disease (E. multilocularis) is a less widespread disease that occurs in countries with larger distributions of the reservoir hosts dogs, wolves, foxes and cats.  The disease is mainly prevalent in northern and central Europe, Alaska, and parts of Canada.

The spread of Echinococcus infection depends on the presence of dogs and foxes as definitive hosts, susceptible intermediate hosts such as sheep, goats and swine, an environment that enables egg survival, and human populations living in close contact with domesticated animals.

Please notice that the distribution of E. Granulosa almost duplicates distribution of gray wolves in North America! Does the fact that 2/3 of wolves from ID/MT tested by WSU were infected with EG have any significance with the dark (distribution) zone of E Granulosa on the map reaching into ID/MT?

Not many sheep being raised in Alaska!

Global distribution of E. granulosa (black) and E. multilocularis (x)

[pianoman9701]

You're never going to convince the wolf lovers that the wolves are anything but beneficial, Dale. Thanks for the article. I've read extensively about e. granulosus and it's a dangerous parasite. Remember Dale, they only feed on the sick and dying, they're necessary to restore the balance of nature that man stole, cattlemen are only raping our public lands, and USFWS and the DFW have been completely open and honest about the program from the start. Thanks God for wolves in WA!

[bearpaw]

Thanks again to Idahohntr for providing this link:
http://www.fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/?getPage=209

Echinococcus granulosus

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 

For More Information:
◾Echinococcus: Focus on Idaho - Idaho Health & Welfare Disease Bulletin, April 2010
◾Echinococcus granulosus Q&A - Idaho Fish and Game
◾Echinococcus granulosus in Wolves in Idaho - [PDF, 142 KB]
◾Parasites and Health - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
◾Disease Precautions for Hunters - American Veterinary Medical Association
◾Echinococcosis - Michigan Dept of Natural Resources and Environment
◾Echinococcus granulosus History, Info - Stanford University
◾Echinococcosis - From Wikipedia


 What Is It?    
◾Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) is a very small (3-5mm) tapeworm that requires two different animal species, a canid and an ungulate, to complete its lifecycle.


 Why Is It Important?
◾Echinicoccus granulosus can infect humans (Cystic Hydatid Disease).
◾The presence of E. granulosus in wild canids and possibly domestic dogs in Idaho may allow humans to be exposed to this parasite.


 Where Is It Located?   
◾Echinococcus granulosus is common worldwide in a domestic sheep and dog cycle.
◾In some places E. granulosus occurs in wolves and wild ungulates, dingos and kangaroos, and jackels and domestic cattle.
◾Global Distribution Map. - [PDF, 1.4 MB]


 Who Is Affected By It?    
◾The adult tapeworm lives in the small intestine of a canid (dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes).
◾The larval form (hydatid) is usually found in the lungs or liver of a herbivore (deer, elk, moose, sheep, cattle).
◾Humans may become infected with the larval (hydatid) stage, after ingesting eggs of this parasite.


 How Does Infection Occur?    
◾If a canid eats a hydatid from an ungulate, the juvenile tapeworms (protoscolices) grows into an adult tapeworm in the intestine of the canid host.
◾The adult tapeworm in the canid releases eggs in the feces of the canid.
◾If a herbivore grazes an area that is contaminated with the tapeworm eggs, eggs that are eaten hatch into an oncospheres or larvae and migrate through blood vessels, generally to the lung or liver where it forms a hydatid cyst.
◾If a human eats an egg, it can hatch into an oncospheres or larvae and form a hydatid cyst in tissue, generally the lung or liver. The cysts can vary in size (1-14 inches) and generally take years to develop.
◾See Life Cycle. - [PDF, 1.4 MB]


 How Do I Keep Myself, My Family, and My Pets From Becoming Affected?   
◾Do not harvest obviously sick or injured animals.
◾Wear latex or rubber gloves when field dressing and skinning game.
◾Thoroughly cook wild game meat.
◾Do not touch or disturb dead animals or carnivore feces.
◾Regularly deworm pet dogs.
◾Do not let pet dogs eat organs or scraps from hunter harvested or road killed animals.
◾Practice good hygiene - washing hands and washing contaminated clothes, especially after handling animals or feces.


 What Is Idaho Fish and Game Doing to Help Manage This Disease?    
◾Since 1998, Idaho Fish and Game has conducted disease surveillance in wildlife including ungulates and wolves. No evidence of this tapeworm, eggs, or larva was discovered until 2006.
◾In 2006, hydatid cysts were found in the lungs of a mountain goat from Atlanta, ID. The adult tapeworm was also first found in the intestines of wolves in 2006.
◾During intensive surveillance between 2006 - 2010, hydatid cysts were found in the lungs of numerous deer and elk from central Idaho; and 62% of wolves tested were determined to be infected with the tapeworm.
◾Currently Idaho Fish and Game is:
◾Continuing its surveillance and investigations of this parasite.
◾Providing public education about this parasite.
◾Coordinating with Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to provide information about this parasite to veterinarians, physicians and health care workers.

[DoubleJ]

So, if an elk or deer is infected, as long as I only eat the meat and not the organs, and since the cysts haven't passed through a carnivore and ended up in it's poop, I'm safe, right?

I don't feel safe telling you what to eat from an infected animal. Another concern is that you also protect the family dog from exposure to infected animals or their feces.

The infected moose liver I posted the photos of was destroyed. The moose meat was eaten by the hunter and his family, I just hope they cooked it all well done. I assume, but do not know for certain that cooking the meat well done makes it safe to eat.

We live in Shelton so no wolves around here yet.  We almost lost the family dog to tape worms a couple of months ago.  The dogs are house dogs and only go into our fenced dog run outside.  My entire house has been 100% flea free for about 7 years now.  The worms, from our best guess through days and days of research, came from the deer bones we gave them from our harvest.  They would not have been exposed to them any other way.  Since there was no risk of exposure, or so we thought, we never thought to worm them. 

The old dog went WAY downhill.  I had an emergency help thread on here a few months ago about it.  He pooped and I saw worm segments in his poop.  Come to find out, he had so many worms in him that he had become severely anemic and almost died from it.  We wormed him and within 48 hours he had turned around.  Deer bones will now be thrown out with the hide from now on.  Meat has been fine.  Based on the scare we had, I had myself and the boys checked at the doctor and we were worm free.

[AspenBud]

My point has been dont minimize the opinion of experienced people. They have a lot to offer and in some subjects they know more than the people publishing stuff on the Internet.

That's why you would like to discredit veterinarians and their "big fancy titles," education, and the literally thousands of animals they see every year?

No one is denying that you should be careful of parasites. But this one is not any bigger a deal than any other. You cook meat thoroughly for a reason, you wash your hands for a reason, and so on. This is common sense stuff tapeworm or no tapeworm and it has been given for decades for a reason.

You are in much greater danger of getting nailed with e. coli or trichinosis from meat at the grocery store and that isn't going to change any time soon.

[AspenBud]

So, if an elk or deer is infected, as long as I only eat the meat and not the organs, and since the cysts haven't passed through a carnivore and ended up in it's poop, I'm safe, right?

I don't feel safe telling you what to eat from an infected animal. Another concern is that you also protect the family dog from exposure to infected animals or their feces.

The infected moose liver I posted the photos of was destroyed. The moose meat was eaten by the hunter and his family, I just hope they cooked it all well done. I assume, but do not know for certain that cooking the meat well done makes it safe to eat.

We live in Shelton so no wolves around here yet.  We almost lost the family dog to tape worms a couple of months ago.  The dogs are house dogs and only go into our fenced dog run outside.  My entire house has been 100% flea free for about 7 years now.  The worms, from our best guess through days and days of research, came from the deer bones we gave them from our harvest.  They would not have been exposed to them any other way.  Since there was no risk of exposure, or so we thought, we never thought to worm them. 

The old dog went WAY downhill.  I had an emergency help thread on here a few months ago about it.  He pooped and I saw worm segments in his poop.  Come to find out, he had so many worms in him that he had become severely anemic and almost died from it.  We wormed him and within 48 hours he had turned around.  Deer bones will now be thrown out with the hide from now on.  Meat has been fine.  Based on the scare we had, I had myself and the boys checked at the doctor and we were worm free.

I have a friend whose dogs regularly kill and eat rabbits that make it through the fencing around his house. He deworms them every time it happens because as sure as the sun rises they will otherwise come down with tapeworms after doing this.

[pianoman9701]

Wolf lover, you're talking about e. granulosus as if it's no big deal. You're lying to yourself and everyone else. It is a big deal.  If these were naturally occurring wolves, such as the ones which used to live in WA, I would maybe agree with you. But they aren't. They were brought in from Canada and they were sick when they were brought in. They were supposed to be disease-free as part of the requirements for introducing animals into the ecosystem. Science was manipulated to import these eaters into our state and lies were told, and you're OK with that. These veterinarians that you hold so dear for their knowledge let their zeal for wolves, like yours, dictate what they told us. They should be stripped of their ability to practice and criminally tried for breaking the law by lying to Congress to achieve their goals.

[RG]

Aspenbud, this thread has gone on so long that the point has been lost.  I respect education and spend more than my share on vets who take very good care of my horses and dogs.  I have friends who are vets. They dont make a practice out of hunting and field dressing big game animals so their exposure to that specific subject may be limited. My original comments were that I know and have worked with outfitters and guides who have dressed a lot of game. They never saw these liver cysts till wolves arrived. Somebody thought I suggested these people were fancy, don't ask me where that came from, and I stated they were far from it , they are honest hardworking people who dont graze in anybody else's pockets, but they know what they are talking about so don't discredit their opinion. A lot of effort has gone into taking this thread down some goat trail but, in the end, it's pretty clear these "wolf worms" are a bad thing and they are now ending up in big game animals.  Clearly this is not a popular opinion among some folks because it puts another negative on the wolf's ledger.  When it comes to being a subject matter expert training and extensive experience, such as Dr Valerius Geist who was mentioned above has, makes for good science.  Politics makes bad science.

[idahohuntr]

Wolf lover, you're talking about e. granulosus as if it's no big deal. You're lying to yourself and everyone else. It is a big deal.  If these were naturally occurring wolves, such as the ones which used to live in WA, I would maybe agree with you. But they aren't. They were brought in from Canada and they were sick when they were brought in. They were supposed to be disease-free as part of the requirements for introducing animals into the ecosystem. Science was manipulated to import these eaters into our state and lies were told, and you're OK with that. These veterinarians that you hold so dear for their knowledge let their zeal for wolves, like yours, dictate what they told us. They should be stripped of their ability to practice and criminally tried for breaking the law by lying to Congress to achieve their goals.

FAQ FROM IDFG Website on this issue:

Were wolves examined and treated for Echinococcus granulosus before they were released in Idaho?

All wolves captured in Canada for relocation to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho were sampled for disease (blood, feces and external parasites) and treated twice for lice (Ivermectin and pyrethrin), roundworms (Ivermectin), and tapeworms (Praziquantel).

Does not appear your statements are accurate piano.   

I think the issue some have with this subject is that there are a lot of diseases/parasites etc. one can get and the attention this one is given is probably not proportional to its risk to humans...e.g, anti-wolf fringe often drum it up as some kind of epidemic...just like they do with respect to effects of wolves on other issues.  It is good to be aware of this tapeworm and practice good hygiene if you are a hunter...wdfw should get something on their website like IDFG...even a link would suffice...then we can all be happy right? 

[pianoman9701]

Wolf lover, you're talking about e. granulosus as if it's no big deal. You're lying to yourself and everyone else. It is a big deal.  If these were naturally occurring wolves, such as the ones which used to live in WA, I would maybe agree with you. But they aren't. They were brought in from Canada and they were sick when they were brought in. They were supposed to be disease-free as part of the requirements for introducing animals into the ecosystem. Science was manipulated to import these eaters into our state and lies were told, and you're OK with that. These veterinarians that you hold so dear for their knowledge let their zeal for wolves, like yours, dictate what they told us. They should be stripped of their ability to practice and criminally tried for breaking the law by lying to Congress to achieve their goals.

FAQ FROM IDFG Website on this issue:

Were wolves examined and treated for Echinococcus granulosus before they were released in Idaho?

All wolves captured in Canada for relocation to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho were sampled for disease (blood, feces and external parasites) and treated twice for lice (Ivermectin and pyrethrin), roundworms (Ivermectin), and tapeworms (Praziquantel).

Does not appear your statements are accurate piano.   

I think the issue some have with this subject is that there are a lot of diseases/parasites etc. one can get and the attention this one is given is probably not proportional to its risk to humans...e.g, anti-wolf fringe often drum it up as some kind of epidemic...just like they do with respect to effects of wolves on other issues.  It is good to be aware of this tapeworm and practice good hygiene if you are a hunter...wdfw should get something on their website like IDFG...even a link would suffice...then we can all be happy right? 

Your post actually shores up my point. They were aware of the parasites and allowed them in anyway. That's obvious from the fact they were treating them in the first place. That's not supposed to be how it works. Relocated wildlife is supposed to be free of disease and parasites which might affect the native wildlife negatively. That's why the testing and quarantine period is so long. And yet, they brought them in anyway. And the risk to humans is only a minute part of the equation. Ungulates, pets, livestock are all affected by it.

[JLS]

Maybe TSA should have done full cavity searches on them before they cleared security.

[AspenBud]

Wolf lover, you're talking about e. granulosus as if it's no big deal. You're lying to yourself and everyone else. It is a big deal.  If these were naturally occurring wolves, such as the ones which used to live in WA, I would maybe agree with you. But they aren't. They were brought in from Canada and they were sick when they were brought in. They were supposed to be disease-free as part of the requirements for introducing animals into the ecosystem. Science was manipulated to import these eaters into our state and lies were told, and you're OK with that. These veterinarians that you hold so dear for their knowledge let their zeal for wolves, like yours, dictate what they told us. They should be stripped of their ability to practice and criminally tried for breaking the law by lying to Congress to achieve their goals.

Babble..babble...babble...that's all I see here.

Even if the wolf was never reintroduced and e. granulosus never ever existed here before you would still have to be careful when handling game, deworm your dogs, and make sure they don't eat or roll in other canines' poop. The threat of parasites is not going to go away even if wolves and e. granulosus does.

You are making a mountain out of a dung hill when there are MANY better arguments against wolves. I know a raft of veterinarians and I've asked many of them about this worm and to a person they don't blink and say don't eat wolf poop, wash your hands, and keep fido away from dead animals and poop.

I'm really sick of fellow sportsmen buying into garbage like this or spreading around crazy conspiracy theories. It makes us all look foolish and crazy.

[Bob33]

Maybe TSA should have done full cavity searches on them before they cleared security.

[bearpaw]

I think USFWS tried to be sure the wolves they released were disease and parasite free. How affective the medication was for E. Granulosus is unknown to me. However, the point that I see as important is that wolves are documented natural wide ranging hosts of these parasites. It is documented that EG existed in Idaho so once the wolves consumed enough wild animals they were sure to become infected even if they were parasite free when released.

WSU tests show a 62% infection rate in the Idaho wolves that were tested. Wolves are moving into WA/OR from Idaho. It is almost certain that many of these wolves are carrying EG. It's time for WDFW to quit supporting the wolfer's agenda that wolves do not carry these parasites or present any risk.

Like Idaho is doing now, WDFW should inform the public how they can avoid Echinococcus granulosus, rather than ignoring or downplaying the potential dangers.

[pianoman9701]

This thread is about tapeworms. It's not about the many other reasons it was a mistake to introduce Canadian wolves into the lower 48. But regardless, there is no reason in your mind we shouldn't have brought them in, Aspen. You're a wolf lover and you'll justify it right to the end of our hunting privileges and abundant ungulate populations.