Coyotes as a reservoir for the emerging zoonotic parasite, Onchocerca lupi, in the southwestern United States. Onchocerca lupi

Onchocerca lupi, the causative agent for canine onchocercosis, is a zoonotic filarial nematode known to cause infection in dogs, cats, wolves, and recently, humans. Since 2013, there have been seven reported human cases of O. lupi in the U.S. To determine if coyotes could be serving as a reservoir, from 2015-2017, skin samples were collected from 707 coyotes in 23 counties in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Samples were screened for O. lupi DNA using a published cytochrome c oxidase (COI) assay, and the amplicon sequenced on the MiSeq platform. We identified 37 coyote samples from seven counties in Arizona and one county in New Mexico containing O. lupi genetic signal. We identified coyote populations within Arizona and New Mexico serving as a potential reservoir for O. lupi, with the potential of perpetuating the spread of this newly emerging pathogen in the southwest environment.