Table. Echinococcus multilocularis in coyotes carcasses collected in Calgary (n = 83) and Edmonton (n = 8) census metropolitan areas, Alberta, Canada, October 2009–July 2011*.
| Characteristic | Total | No. (%) positive or median (range) | No. negative | IQ distance | χ2 (z) | df | pexact value† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex‡ | |||||||
| M | 44 | 15 (34.1) | 29 | ||||
| F | 46 | 7 (15.2) | 39 | NA | 4.337 | 1 | 0.05 |
| Parasite intensity | |||||||
| M | NA | 9 (1–1,400) | NA | 83 | |||
| F | NA | 59 (9–822) | NA | 137 | (−1.406) | 0.19 | |
| Age‡ | |||||||
| Juvenile | 43 | 14 (33.3) | 29 | NA | |||
| Adult | 47 | 8 (17.0) | 39 | NA | 1.661 | 1 | 0.226 |
| Parasite intensity | |||||||
| Juvenile | NA | 9 (1–151) | NA | 71 | |||
| Adult | NA | 32 (1–1,400) | NA | 520 | (−0.737) | 0.518 |
*Values in boldface indicate a significant difference. Higher prevalence in male coyotes suggests a role for sex in parasite dispersion. Frequencies of cestodes in males vs. females and juveniles vs. adults were analyzed by using χ2 test. Parasite intensity (no. parasites per host) among sex and age classes was compared by using Mann-Whitney test for independent samples. IQ, interquartile distance; NA, not applicable. †Probability of distribution was estimated by using the permutation approach (pexact). ‡Sex and age of 1 coyote were not recorded.