SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE - You are what you eat, the old saying goes, and that holds true for many animals that regularly ingest poison. For certain species that feed on toxic fare like plants and insects, not only do the poisonous meals do these creatures no harm, but the consumers actually co-opt the toxins. They become...
THE WASHINGTON POST - Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that he was diagnosed with mercury poisoning around the same time doctors discovered a parasitic worm in his brain, adding to questions about cognitive fitness that have roiled the 2024 campaign. “It’s not necessarily a problem right away to have this infection, but it’s...
KTLA 5 LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control has issued an animal health advisory after four dogs tested positive for a potentially deadly bacterial disease. The advisory was issued earlier this month after four infected dogs arrived at an emergency veterinary center in Pasadena between June 2023 to...
EARTH.COM - For the first time, scientists have confirmed the presence of a potentially fatal dog parasite, liver fluke, in a section of the Colorado River that traverses California. This revelation from scientists at UC Riverside has prompted urgent calls for public awareness due to the serious health risk it poses to pets. Heterobilharzia americana...
LOS ANGELES TIMES - For five years, an elusive tormentor of animals hid from authorities in east Riverside County as 10 dogs were injured and another killed. The victims hailed from Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties, while the suspect maintained a strong alibi: It had never visited California. It took authorities years to discover...
KTLA 5 LOS ANGELES - 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...
KNBC-TV / LOS ANGELES - Researchers in Riverside have pinpointed the cause of a potentially fatal illness in dogs in recent weeks and are warning pet owners to beware of a particular location in Southern California. Adler Dillman, a professor at the University of California Riverside-turned-pet detective, said he researched a mysterious illness that sickened...
THE DAILY MAIL - Scientists have discovered dog-killing worms in Southern California for the first time, which have infected at least 11 pets - one of which died. A team at the University of California Riverside (UCR) found Heterobilharzia americana, a flatworm commonly referred to as liver fluke, are being transmitted by snails living along...
NEWSWEEK - A parasite that could potentially kill your pet dog has been discovered lurking in a section of the Colorado River that runs through Southern California. This parasite is a flatworm named Heterobilharzia americana, also known as a liver fluke, and has previously only been found in Texas and other states on the Gulf...
USA TODAY - A dog-killing parasite that was believed to only exist in Texas and other Gulf Coast states has been discovered as far west as California for the first time, scientists have warned. Experts at the University of California Riverside found the Heterobilharzia americana parasite, a flatworm commonly known as a liver fluke, in...