Large raccoonThe US Geological Service isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think about publishers of zoonotic disease information (but what do I know?).

If you’re looking for some holiday reading, the USGS has published a comprehensive overview of Baylisascaris larva migrans, a serious disease caused by Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm. This parasite is very common in raccoons, which carry the adult worms in their intestines and shed the eggs in their feces.  In contrast, human infections caused by the immature larvae are rare, but they can be devastating. The publication is authored by Dr. Kevin Kazacos, someone who’s been at the forefront in this research field, and contains pretty much everything you’d want to know about this parasite, and more.