Prevalence of Fox Tapeworm in Invasive Muskrats in Flanders (North Belgium)

One way in which invasive alien species affect their environment is by acting as pathogen hosts. Pathogens limited by the availability of the native host species can profit from the presence of additional hosts. The muskrat ( Ondatra zibethicus ) is known to act as an intermediate host for the fox tapeworm ( Echinococcus multilocularis ). From 2009 to 2017, 15,402 muskrats caught in Flanders and across the border with Wallonia and France were collected and dissected with the aim of understanding the prevalence of this parasite in muskrats. Visual examination of the livers revealed 202 infected... Mehr ...