Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42316237›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2026

Molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. in intestines of coyotes and foxes from Pennsylvania, USA.

Aditya Gupta, Kyle Van Why, Justin D Brown, Benjamin M Rosenthal, Jitender P Dubey

Abstract read
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Article in Parasites & vectors, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Aditya GuptaUnited States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, 20705-2350, USA.
Kyle Van WhyUnited States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, PO Box 60827, Harrisburg, PA, 17106, USA.
Justin D BrownDepartment of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Benjamin M RosenthalUnited States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, 20705-2350, USA.
Jitender P DubeyUnited States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, 20705-2350, USA. jitender.dubey@usda.gov.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4455-2870

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWild canids serve as definitive hosts for numerous Sarcocystis species infecting livestock and wildlife. However, species-level identification in free-ranging carnivores remains difficult, impeded by the morphological resemblance among the sporocysts of various parasite species.

methodsIntestinal mucosal scrapings from 40 wild canids: red fox (Vulpes vulpes, n = 8), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus, n = 6) and coyote (Canis latrans, n = 26) in Pennsylvania, USA, sampled in 2024, were tested for Sarcocystis sporocysts.

resultsSporocysts were detected microscopically in intestinal homogenates digested in Chlorox in 3/6 (50%) gray foxes, 3/8 (37.5%) red foxes and 18/26 (69.2%) coyotes. PCR amplification was successful on 8/18 (44.4%) coyotes, 0/6 Gy foxes and 2/3 (66.6%) red foxes. Multi-locus genotyping was performed for the 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, COI and ITS1 genetic markers, supporting identification of multiple species of Sarcocystis, including Sarcocystis albifronsi-like, S. cruzi, S. gjerdei-like, S. cristata/S. wenzeli-like and an additional undescribed, ungulate-associated Sarcocystis spp.

conclusionsPhylogenetic analysis confirmed clustering with reference sequences with strong support. This study demonstrates that wild foxes and coyotes serve as definitive hosts for multiple species of Sarcocystis, including Sarcocystis cruzi, which uses cattle as intermediate hosts and imposes significant economic burdens on cattle production. Moreover, these findings demonstrate that wild canids harbor diverse Sarcocystis spp., supporting their role in environmental dissemination and potential transmission at the wildlife-livestock interface.

Indexed as

CoyotesFoxesIntestinesSarcocystisSarcocystosisAnimalsDNA, ProtozoanPennsylvaniaPhylogenyRNA, Ribosomal, 18SDNA, ProtozoanRNA, Ribosomal, 18SCoyotesFoxesGenotypingIleumPennsylvaniaSarcocystisSporocyst

Identifiers

PMID42316237
PMCPMC13523291

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.