A parasite that can be fatal to dogs has been found in a river that runs through Southern California, according to a new report.
The parasite, Heterobilharzia Americana, is a flatworm also known as liver fluke, an article posted by UC Riverside News Thursday states.
“Dogs can die from this infection, so we are hoping to raise public awareness that it’s there,” UCR nematology professor Adler Dillman told the college news site. “If you’re swimming in the Colorado River with them, your pets are in peril.”
The article states that the parasite was found in a portion of the Colorado River in Blythe.
Heterobilharzia Americana causes granulomatous gastrointestinal and hepatic disease in dogs, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The flatworm is transmitted by certain types of snails and is almost exclusively found in Gulf Coast states.
“We actually found two species of snails that can support H. americana in the river in Blythe, and we found both snails actively shedding this worm,” Dillman told UCR News. “Not only was it a surprise to find H. americana, we also did not know that the snails were present here.”
The worst symptoms, which include vomiting, diarrhea and profound weight loss take several months to appear but can be treated with medications administered by a veterinarian.
It was also noted that Heterobilharzia Americana can be easily filtered out with common water purification methods and is not known to cause disease in humans.
“It can cause swimmer’s itch, a red rash where it penetrates human skin. But it’s not able to cause infection,” Dillman said in the article.