- Two Los Angeles residents contract raccoon parasite
- Raccoon roundworm can cause blindness, brain damage
- Public risk minimal, but experts raise awareness
Two persons in Los Angeles have contracted a raccoon-borne parasite that can burrow into the brain and cause blindness.
The unidentified individuals dwell in the South Bay region and have been diagnosed with Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Raccoon roundworm is a common parasitic ailment in which a worm infects raccoons’ intestines and excretes its eggs in their feces.
However, the virus is unusual in people, and county officials say the risk to the public is now ‘minimal.’
However, experts are alerting the public about the raccoon-carried parasite following a spike in rabid raccoons earlier this year and the animals’ increased presence in communities where people are more likely to come into touch with them.
No more information was provided about the patients, such as their ages, genders, or symptoms.
However, indications of a parasite infection include a moderate fever, exhaustion, or nausea, which can rapidly escalate to neurological problems.
In severe situations, organ damage might cause individuals to perish from the disease.
According to a county spokesperson, the verified cases of this unusual sickness warn everyone in Los Angeles County to take steps to prevent disease transmission from animals to humans.
‘While [raccoon roundworm] is uncommon in humans, it is alarming because many raccoons live near people, and the infection rate in raccoons is presumably high.’
Only 23 occurrences of raccoon roundworm in humans have been documented in medical literature to date, with six individuals (26 percent) dying from the condition. Still, physicians believe the number of cases is likely significantly lower because the infection is frequently misdiagnosed.
Other individuals have been left with lifelong problems, such as blindness and brain damage.
Previous cases in the United States include a teen from Brooklyn, New York, WHO in 2009, who was blind in one eye, and an infant who suffered brain damage after contracting the condition.
In 2021, a one-year-old boy in Canada contracted the disease after eating raccoon excrement from a yard flower pot. He was treated immediately and experienced no long-term consequences.
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According to estimates, 40-60% of raccoons carry the raccoon roundworm parasite.
It causes no symptoms in the animals, but it can spread through their excrement, with people picking up the eggs if they come into contact with the droppings.
Baylisascaris procyonis can occasionally infect dogs.
When a person mistakenly ingests the eggs, the parasites hatch in their intestines and go into the bloodstream.
They then tunnel into organs such as the liver, lungs, eyes, and brain, causing inflammation and tissue damage.
Symptoms often develop one week to one month following infection.
Raccoon roundworm is diagnosed with tests that rule out other diseases. There is no specific test for raccoon roundworms.
Treatment should be initiated as soon as possible, and it should include the antiparasitic medication Albendazole. Patients should not have any adverse side effects if delivered quickly.
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