Wolf Parasites

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This just came across my Facebook page. Wold like to see what everyones comments are.

http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2010/01/06/two-thirds-of-idaho-wolf-carcasses-examined-have-thousands-of-hydatid-disease-tapeworms/

Here is the last part of the article.

ID, MT F&G Ignored Responsibility to Warn Public

Instead of fulfilling their responsibility to see that hunters and ranchers in Idaho and Montana received instruction on how to protect themselves from becoming infected, from 2006-2008 Drew and two of his counterparts from Montana participated in the evaluation of the lower intestines of 123 more wolves from Idaho and Montana. This is the study reported by Tom Remington on Dec. 13, 2009, in which 62% of Idaho wolves and 63% of Montana wolves contained E. granulosis tapeworms, and 71% of all the wolves tested contained Taenia sp, also predicted by Will Graves.

The study report says: “The detection of thousands of tapeworms per wolf was a common finding,” and also said: “Based on our results, the parasite is now well established in wolves in these states and is documented in elk, mule deer, and a mountain goat as intermediate hosts.” Of the wolves that contained E. granulosis, more than half contained more than 1,000 worms per wolf.

To put that in perspective, if each tapeworm can produce up to 1,000 eggs every 10 days for two years as is reported, 1,000 wolves with 1,000 tapeworms each are capable of spreading up to 73 billion eggs over the landscape in two years! The study provided a map of wolf locations indicating that areas with the highest known wolf density also have the highest percent of infected wolves (exactly as predicted by Dr. Geist).

The study reported that the prevalence of E. granulosis tapeworms in wolves in Canada, Alaska and Minnesota varied from 14% to 72% and said the 63% rate found in Idaho and Montana was comparable. But if one subtracts the strip across southern Idaho where few wolves exist and only two that were tested had the parasite, the prevalence of tapeworms in the areas with higher wolf densities was almost 90 percent!

During the past 20 years, medical case histories suggest that the course of the northern (sylvatic) strain of Hydatid Disease where wolves infect wild cervids (deer, elk, moose, etc.) is normally less severe on most humans than the domestic (pastoral) strain where dogs infect domestic sheep and other ruminants. The authors of the wolf parasite study used this information to try to downplay the potential impact of hydatid disease transmitted by wolves to humans in Idaho and Montana.

They also included the following statement to create the false impression that there is limited chance of Idaho and Montana residents becoming infected: “Most human cases of hydatid disease have been detected in indigenous peoples who hunt wild cervids or are reindeer herders with dogs.” At least part of that statement is accurate because most of the people who live in isolated areas and are more exposed are either Indians or Eskimos.

But they neglect to mention that several hundred thousand people in Idaho and Montana also hunt wild cervids and thousands more work or recreate where wolves have contaminated the land and drinking water with the parasite eggs. Unless the cysts are formed in the brain, heart, spleen or kidneys, infected people may carry them undetected for years, while they slowly grow larger until they eventually create severe problems or death.

Because the death of most people from so-called natural causes is attributed to heart failure, etc., without an autopsy being performed, the actual number of deaths resulting from hydatid disease remains a matter of speculation. Case histories reveal that detection of hydatid disease in living humans often occurs as a result of a CT Scan or Ultrasound performed for another reason.

Dr. Geist’s reply to the lack of concern expressed for humans who will become infected was, “It’s nothing to fool around with. Getting an Echinococcus cyst of any kind is no laughing matter as it can grow not only on the liver or the lungs, but also in the brain. And then it’s fatal.”

He also asked if another parasite, E, multilocularis, found in Alberta wolves, also exists in the transplanted wolves in Idaho and Montana. “(It‘s) much more virulent than Echinococcus granulosus of any strain, we cannot encapsulate this cyst, and it grows and buds off like a cancer infecting different parts of the body incessantly.”

(NOTE: Three separate studies conducted over a 10-year period in Minnesota concluded that 87% of moose mortality is related to parasites and infectious diseases. The insanity of pretending to restore “healthy” ecosystems by allowing uncontrolled large carnivores to spread parasites and diseases is becoming painfully obvious – ED

- See more at: http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2010...datid-disease-tapeworms/#sthash.pgTZu6zV.dpuf
 
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I don't really consider Skinny Moose a reliable and unbiased source of information. The hydatid disease concern is blown way out of proportion in my opinion. Read up on what the WHO and CDC think of it, and they aren't too concerned.
 

William Hanson (live2hunt)

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I can speak neither for nor against the source however if what the article says is true then there is the potential for criminal negligence suits from folks that get infected and from the people who's states resources are impacted by these parasites. I can understand unforseen side effects but willfully ignoring data that outlines projected damaging effects of a new policy is insane.
 

avodude

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I would take the article with a grain of salt. I think CWD, EHD, Blue Tongue, Hoof Rot, Lyme disease, pneumonia spread to wild sheep, etc., have a much greater impact on wildlife than this.

Here's Idaho Fish and Game's response.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/diseaseEchinococcusWolves.pdf

Method of transmission to humans is through wolf crap. So don't eat wolf crap and wear gloves while skinning them.
 
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We found tapeworms in mule deer in NM back in the early 80's when doing mule deer reproduction research. I'm sure it has been in coyotes for centuries and always will be. Basically it's a non issue for 99.9% of the human population. Remember wolves used to be here in the US before they were extirpated and I'm sure they had the same parasites back then too.

Mike
 

charvey9

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Just curious...how does a human go about getting tapeworm from a wolf? I'm assuming the risk is wolves spreading it to other game populations, and the risk to humans would be in eating that infected meat.

Still, as far as I know, cooking that meat well enough or freezing it kills the tapeworm.
 

Ray

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Just curious...how does a human go about getting tapeworm from a wolf? I'm assuming the risk is wolves spreading it to other game populations, and the risk to humans would be in eating that infected meat.

Still, as far as I know, cooking that meat well enough or freezing it kills the tapeworm.

As noted above the eggs are in the poo, so you have to get the wolf poo into your mouth. That is how elk/deer get it. Poo on food vegetation is ingested and then the deer is infected completing the worm's life cycle. If wolves cooked their deer then the worm life cycle could be broken. That's unlikely to happen, but here in AK cooking game meat is how you keep things in check.

I always double check my blue berries to make sure there are no poo piles on or near them. Someday I will mess up and get wolf poo coated berries, but its more likely that I will get hit by a car.
 

avodude

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Just curious...how does a human go about getting tapeworm from a wolf? I'm assuming the risk is wolves spreading it to other game populations, and the risk to humans would be in eating that infected meat.

Still, as far as I know, cooking that meat well enough or freezing it kills the tapeworm.

Adding to what Ray said to make it clearer,

It is a two-part lifecycle for the tapeworm:

1 - The wolf or other canid (coyote, dog, fox) has to eat the cyst in the deer. If we eat the cysts in the deer we are fine (they are not eggs)- it has to be a canid that eats the cyst to move to the next part. Once the canid eats the cyst, then the tapeworms grow inside and lay eggs in the digestive tract.

2 - It is the eggs from the digestive tract (i.e. poop tract) of a canid that can infect deer, elk, etc and us humans. Let's say a deer eats the wolf, coyote, dog or fox crap, then the cysts may grow inside the deer. Leaving us to where we were in the beginning. The only time that we are susceptible is if we eat wolf, coyote, dog or fox crap. The most likely transmission to humans is through our own dogs. If the dog eats the cyst in a deer, elk, moose, whatever, then it can get the tapeworms. Then if you somehow get your dog's crap in your mouth - you are then exposed. But, if you worm your dog regularly, don't let it eat cysts and don't eat your dog's crap, then you are fine. There are so MANY steps that have to happen for a human to get exposed that there is a very unlikely chance. Every step significantly decreases the probability of it ever happening. Simple statistics.

I feel they are taking Dr. Geist's comments out of context. Obviously getting the disease is terrible. So don't eat wolf crap. Make sure to wear gloves when you skin the wolf. Keep your dog from eating cysts in deer, elk, moose, etc; worm your dog every so often and don't inadvertantly eat your dog's crap.
 

charvey9

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Adding to what Ray said to make it clearer,

It is a two-part lifecycle for the tapeworm:

1 - The wolf or other canid (coyote, dog, fox) has to eat the cyst in the deer. If we eat the cysts in the deer we are fine (they are not eggs)- it has to be a canid that eats the cyst to move to the next part. Once the canid eats the cyst, then the tapeworms grow inside and lay eggs in the digestive tract.

2 - It is the eggs from the digestive tract (i.e. poop tract) of a canid that can infect deer, elk, etc and us humans. Let's say a deer eats the wolf, coyote, dog or fox crap, then the cysts may grow inside the deer. Leaving us to where we were in the beginning. The only time that we are susceptible is if we eat wolf, coyote, dog or fox crap. The most likely transmission to humans is through our own dogs. If the dog eats the cyst in a deer, elk, moose, whatever, then it can get the tapeworms. Then if you somehow get your dog's crap in your mouth - you are then exposed. But, if you worm your dog regularly, don't let it eat cysts and don't eat your dog's crap, then you are fine. There are so MANY steps that have to happen for a human to get exposed that there is a very unlikely chance. Every step significantly decreases the probability of it ever happening. Simple statistics.

I feel they are taking Dr. Geist's comments out of context. Obviously getting the disease is terrible. So don't eat wolf crap. Make sure to wear gloves when you skin the wolf. Keep your dog from eating cysts in deer, elk, moose, etc; worm your dog every so often and don't inadvertantly eat your dog's crap.

Got it. Don't eat poop. Won't get tapeworms. I think I'm good.
 
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