Prevalence of Sarcocystis kirkpatricki Sarcocysts in the central nervous system and striated muscles of raccoons from the Eastern United States.

A retrospective survey of 760 raccoons (Procyon lotor) revealed 9 animals with sarcocysts of Sarcocystis kirkpatricki in their brains. Six of the raccoons also had the organisms in their skeletal muscles, and 1 had them in the heart muscle. No age or gender predisposition was seen. Seven of the raccoons had concurrent viral diseases (canine distemper or rabies), suggesting that concurrent viral infections in raccoons may facilitate infection of brain tissue with S. kirkpatricki.