An emerging parasite known as Echinococcus multilocularis has been increasingly appearing in coyotes in Western Canada as well as in new regions of North America recent years, and poses a potential threat to the health of dogs and humans. The tapeworm can have a severe impact on dogs if they ingest the parasitic eggs and develop a condition known as alveolar echinococcosis (AE).”These eggs are immediately infective, and can survive for years in the environment,” said Kolapo, “AE behaves like an invasive tumor disease and is very debilitating and costly to treat in both humans and dogs.”Kolapo said there has been an increase in the prevalence of E. multilocularis parasites in Western Canada in recent years, and thus, an increased risk of developing AE for both dogs and humans exists today. E. multilocularis adult parasites flourish in the intestines of dogs, coyotes, foxes and wolves, who often pass eggs eaten by rodents; when dogs and humans accidentally consume these eggs, they are at risk of contracting the parasite. AE can develop in the liver, and if the disease goes undetected in the early stage, treatment options and outcomes are often poor.