OAHN Wildlife Network Project: Muskrat Health and Disease Surveillance

Project Lead: Dr. Claire Jardine

Collaborators:  Dr. Alex Reid

Executive Summary

Working in collaboration with researchers at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 149 trapper harvested muskrat carcasses, collected in winter 2022-2023, were examined for this project.  The health status of the muskrats was assessed through postmortem examination and histology, with a particular focus on detecting Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of Tularemia, and Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcus. These 2 pathogens were selected due to their importance to animal and human health. Samples from all carcasses were tested for Francisella tularensis, via PCR. Francisella tularensis was not detected in any muskrats tested. One case of Echinococcus multilocularis was identified on postmortem examination and histology and confirmed via PCR. Although E. multilocualris has been previously detected in muskrats in western Canada, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of E. multilocularis in muskrats in Ontario.  The outcomes of this research highlight the value of using harvested animals for health and disease surveillance.