The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) released the “2026 AAHA One Health Guidelines: Emerging Concerns in Canine and Feline Parasitology.” The guidelines were created to help veterinary teams recognize, diagnose, treat, and communicate with clients about emerging parasites in dogs and cats.
The guidelines include sections on adopting a One Health approach, identifying the most concerning parasites, using antiparasitic drugs responsibly, and recognizing which parasites are reportable. They also provide tips on communicating parasite prevention options and zoonotic risk to clients.
According to the guidelines, emergence is driven by factors including antiparasitic use and resistance, environmental and host changes, increased animal movement and interaction, and improved detection and awareness.
The guidelines specifically address the following parasites that have recently increased in prevalence or incidence:
- Ancylostoma caninum (canine hookworm) with multiple anthelmintic drug resistance
- Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm)
- Cercopithifilaria bainae (canine filarial nematode)
- Cochliomyia hominivorax (New World screwworm)
- Praziquantel-resistant Dipylidium caninum (flea tapeworm)
- Dirofilaria immitis with macrocyclic lactone loss of efficacy
- Echinococcus sp. (tapeworms)
- Haemaphysalis longicornis (long-horned tick)
- Heterobilharzia americana (fluke that causes canine schistosomiasis)
- Trypanosoma cruzi (protozoan that causes Chagas disease)
They also address nine additional emerging parasites of potential concern.
The guidelines are available on AAHA’s website.