National Geographic Photo by Mattias Klum
The kinkajou, apparently also known as the honey bear, is a Central/South American rainforest mammal and is related to the raccoon. Perhaps you have seen Ms. Paris Hilton toting one around like a new designer bag but do not let their adorable, innocent faces mislead you; kinkajous have recently been found to carry parasites that are deadly to humans. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), helminthic zoonosis, the transmission of parasites from non-human hosts to human, is growing rapidly. Yesterday, CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) stated that pet kinkajous in three U.S states–Indiana, Tennessee, and Florida–between 1999 and 2010, have been tested positive for Baylisascaris procyonis (BP), a ubiquitous roundworm infection found in raccoons. Human exposure to roundworm can be deadly and it is important that exotic pet owners have routine de-worming of their pets and avoid contact with potentially infected fecal matter.
As part of the exotic pet trade, kinkajous are imported from South America and bred in captivity; the offspring are sold as exotic pets. Because the disease is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, human cases of BP infection typically occur in younger age groups, mainly infants, who often engage in oral exploration of their environment and are therefore more likely to be exposed to BP eggs.
These findings show that infectious diseases commonly associated with tropical regions are not confined to those areas; infection and disease travel across land and water. The Kinkajou, an exotic pet imported into the U.S from South and Central America, is just one example of how tropical infections can travel to other biomes.
Read the full report here.
