Baylisascaris procyonis prevalence in raccoons (Procyon lotor) and its relation to landscape features

Raccoons ( Procyon lotor ) are the final host for raccoon roundworm ( Baylisascaris procyonis ). Raccoon roundworm is the leading cause of a dangerous neurological disease known as larva migrans encephalopathy. Land fragmentation occurs when natural environments are broken up by urban or agricultural landscapes. Raccoons thrive in urban environments, while raccoons in agricultural settings forage over larger areas than raccoons in urban settings do. Land fragmentation affects concentrations of B. procyonis parasites in intermediate hosts. We calculated the prevalence of raccoon roundworm in 9 townships of Greene and Clark Counties by necropsying 226 raccoon intestines. Prevalence is defined as the number of raccoons infected with roundworm divided by the total number of raccoons sampled. We determined that the prevalence of B. procyonis from Beavercreek township is significantly lower than the other townships (χ ² = 25.19, p-value = 0.0007). Prevalence of raccoon roundworm in this region is lower than many areas in the Midwestern United States, suggesting the need for further research to determine reasons for the lower prevalence in the Ohio region.