OMG - Raccoon "Ringworm?"

ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH. That's all I can say. The journalist needs to be given a long talking-to.

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http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/05/03/2009-05-03_raccoon_disease_hits_bklyn_teen__tot_ringworm_could_be_fatal_to_children.html

Raccoon Ringworm disease hits Brooklyn teen and baby

BY Veronika Belenkaya
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, May 3rd 2009, 4:00 AM

Fewer than 30 cases of Raccoon Ringworm have been reported nationwide.

A rare, deadly disease that has left an infant brain damaged and a teenager blind in one eye, has been detected in Brooklyn, the Daily News has learned.

The city's Department of Health is on alert for Raccoon Ringworm, a disease contracted through contact with raccoon feces. It can cause permanent nerve damage and death.

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Allow me to correct this ridiculous bit of horrid journalism. The editor should be sacked. This is simply false on too many levels to bother actually addressing them all.

The concern here is Raccoon ROUNDWORM. Not ringworm (which is a fungal infection). The parasite in question is a small worm. In the definitive host (like a raccoon in this case) the worm is several inches long and has the appearance of vermicelli. They reproduce by laying eggs that are then deposited in the feces. The eggs are very, very durable in the environment and survive for long periods of time. Roundworm egg contamination is the major reason I won't let my children play in uncovered sandboxes (think GIANT cat litter box) and why you should think twice about letting your child play in the sand at the beach (how many owners actually pick up their dog poop).

Each species has their own roundworm. The big ones we deal with in my line of work are the cat roundworms (toxacara felis, toxascaris leonina), dog roundworm (toxacara canis) and the raccoon roundworm (baylisascaris procyonis).

If a human (the non-intended host) ingests one of these eggs, the larva don't develop into adults like they are supposed to. Instead, the larva migrate around various organs and potentially into the brain or eye. I'll post again about roundworm infection.

The disease is not rare. Actual diagnosed cases of baylisascaris are fairly rare, but that's because human physicians don't know what they're doing when it comes to parasitic disease. Recent work released in 2007 shows that nearly 14% of the American population has been infected with toxacara at some time in their lives.

14%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxocara/Toxocara_announcement.pdf

The moral is - practice good hygiene. Don't eat dirt, don't eat cat poop, dog poop, or raccoon poop. Don't let kids play in wood piles without washing their hands (raccoons use wood piles as latrines). This goes for wood brought indoors for firewood. Wash your hands.

Ridiculous fear mongering. This reporter must have been hurting for a deadline. ARRRGH. What an idiot.

AMH