Potentially Deadly Threat to Pets Spreading Across the US, Researchers Warn

A potentially deadly parasite has been found for the first time in California’s Colorado River, researchers say.

A general view of dogs at Coindre Hall on April 21, 2014 in Huntington, New York.

A potentially deadly parasite has been found for the first time in California’s Colorado River, according to a recent study from University of California researchers.

The parasite, called Heterobilharzia americana, is a flatworm known as a liver fluke. Previously it was found in Gulf states but has now spread west, researchers with the University of California at Riverside said this month.