Prevalence of in Raccoons Trapped in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2014-2017.

, the raccoon roundworm, is considered an emerging zoonotic disease in the United States after being identified in raccoons captured in different US regions and metropolitan areas. Humans can become infected with after ingesting mature roundworm eggs, sometimes resulting in fatal disease or severe sequelae in these patients. The first reported human case in New Orleans raised concerns that very little was known about this zoonotic disease in the increasing urban raccoon population. Therefore, the study aim was to estimate the prevalence of -infected raccoons in New Orleans, LA. Raccoons were trapped based on nuisance calls from the public and in areas where raccoons had been sighted. Necropsies were performed to identify adult worms in intestines and fecal samples were examined for roundworm ova. Study findings showed that 38.5% of New Orleans raccoons were infected with , defined by the presence of adult worms or ova in their feces. Twenty-four of 65 raccoons (36.9%) had raccoon roundworms in their intestines and 31.7% of the fecal samples were positive for eggs. Mapping -infected raccoons by trapping location showed that infected raccoons were found throughout the city. In conclusion, the high prevalence rate of in New Orleans raccoons demonstrates the importance of educating the public and health care professionals about potential health risks and providing resources to prevent exposure to infective eggs from raccoon latrines. Furthermore, this emerging disease should be further studied to examine human risk of infection in increasing raccoon populations in metropolitan areas.