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The raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides, which originates from Asia, is an invasive species that is increasingly spreading in Europe. This is associated with the risk of introducing and spreading various pathogens, such as the fox tapeworm or Trichinella. The aim of this study from Romania was to investigate the occurrence of Trichinella larvae in tanuki found there by artificially digesting muscle tissue and amplifying and sequencing larvae using multiplex PCR. As a result, Trichinella britovi was detected for the first time in raccoon dogs in Romania, confirming the role of the raccoon dog as a vector for pathogens.

Marin AM, et al. 2023. The First Identification of Trichinella britovi in the Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Romania. Pathogens 12, 1132. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12091132

The raccoon, which is invasive in Europe, continues to spread in its new range. As a carrier of various parasites and other pathogens, it is suspected of posing a health risk. With this in mind, 102 raccoons from Baden-Württemberg were examined for intestinal parasites in this study between 2019 and 2020. Four nematode, three cestode and three trematode species were found. Of the raccoons examined, 72.3% were infested with at least one of the parasite species. 6 of the identified parasite species have a human pathogenic potential. These results indicate that raccoons can certainly pose a risk of infection.

Reinhardt NP, Wassermann M, Härle J, Romig T, Kurzrock L, Arnold J, Großmann E, Mackenstedt U, Straubinger RK (2023) Helminths in Invasive Raccoons (Procyon lotor) from Southwest Germany. Pathogens. 12(7):919. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12070919

234 raccoons (Procyon lotor) from Germany were examined in this study regarding their parasite fauna, revealing a remarkably diverse number of parasite species for the first time. In total, 23 species were identified, of which 5 species were described as human pathogens, and 14 species were reported as new for raccoons in Europe. Among them, the raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis was the most prevalent parasite, with a prevalence of nearly 95%. Considering the further spread of raccoons, it is expected that future parasitic diseases may occur in humans as well as in wild, domestic, and farm animals.

Peter, N., Dörge, D.D., Cunze, S., Schantz, A.V., Skaljic, A., Rueckert, S., Klimpel, S., 2023. Raccoons contraband – The metazoan parasite fauna of free-ranging raccoons in central Europe. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 20, 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.01.003