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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420710
Research Project: Foodborne Parasites and their Impact on Food Safety

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory

Title: Infection with the zoonotic nematode, Trichinella murrelli in bobcats (Lynx rufus) from Minnesota, USA

Author
item Dubey, Jitender
item GUPTA, ADITYA - Orise Fellow
item Thompson, Peter
item Rosenthal, Benjamin
item HUMPAL, CAROLYN - Minnesota Department Of Natural Resources
item CARSTENSEN, MICHELLE - Minnesota Department Of Natural Resources

Submitted to: Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/17/2024
Publication Date: 12/24/2024
Citation: Dubey, J.P., Gupta, A., Thompson, P.C., Rosenthal, B.M., Humpal, C., Carstensen, M. 2024. Infection with the zoonotic nematode, Trichinella murrelli in bobcats (Lynx rufus) from Minnesota, USA. Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports. 57. Article e101188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101188.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101188

Interpretive Summary: Trichinellosis is a parasitic infection generally acquired by eating undercooked infected pork. As a result of leadership of ARS scientists, risk of acquiring this parasitic infection has been greatly reduced because of its near zero prevalence in the reservoir host, the domestic pig. However, Trichinella infection persists in wild game. Here the authors report the presence of Trichinella in 1 of 190 bobcats from Minnesota; a recent survey by ARS scientists had found no Trichinella in over 800,000 domestic pigs from Minnesota. There is need for surveillance because Trichinella is circulating in wildlife in the absence of its infection in domestic pigs. These findings will be of interest to wildlife biologists, hunters, trappers, and veterinarians.

Technical Abstract: During a survey for other parasitic infections, tongue and limb muscles of wild bobcats (Lynx rufus) were examined microscopically from a sample of 190 Minnesota bobcats. One batch (n = 50) was studied in 2015, yielding no cases of Trichinella when examined only with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining of <25 mg of tissue. In a 2024 cohort (n = 140), this method was paired with a compression of ~5 g of tissue. Although these methods were not perfectly suited to the detection of Trichinella, such larvae were nonetheless identified in one specimen. Genetic data confirmed these as Trichinella murrelli, representing the first identification of this species from any host from Minnesota.