THE IMPACT OF LAND USE, SEASON, AGE, AND SEX ON THE PREVALENCE AND INTENSITY OF BAYLISASCARIS PROCYONIS INFECTIONS IN RACCOONS (PROCYON LOTOR) FROM ONTARIO, CANADA

We assessed the impact of land use, demographic factors, and season on the prevalence and intensity of Baylisascaris procyonis infections in raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Ontario, Canada. From March to October 2012, we recorded the number of B. procyonis in the intestinal tracts of raccoons submitted to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre for necropsy. Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between the presence of B. procyonis and age (adult, juvenile), sex, land use (suburban/urban, rural), and season (March–June and July–October); negative binomial regression models were used to examine associations between the number of worms and the same variables. We detected B. procyonis in 38% (95% confidence interval 30–47%) of raccoons examined (n = 128). In univariable models, the presence of B. procyonis was significantly associated with age, land use, and season (P