Echinococcosis

enUK

echinococcosis

[ə‚kī·nə·kä′kō·səs] (medicine) Infestation by the larva (hydatid) of Echinococcus granulosis in humans, and in some canines and herbivores. Also known as hydatid disease; hydatidosis.

Echinococcosis

a helminthic disease of humans and animals caused by parasitic larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus. Humans become infected by swallowing the eggs of the helminths, mostly after touching dogs. Larvae emerge from the eggs in the intestine, penetrate into the blood vessels, and are carried to various organs, where they change into hybrid cysts.

Two forms of echinococcosis are distinguished: hydatid disease and alveococcosis. Hydatid disease, the commoner of the two, is caused by the parasite E. granulosus, which mainly affects the liver, lungs, brain, muscles, and kidneys. It is unilocular and grows slowly over a period of years. The cyst sometimes has a volume of 10 1 or more. A connective-tissue capsule and chitinous membrane form around it while daughter hydatids form in the lumen of the cyst and sometimes produce granddaughter hydatids.

The alveolar or multilocular form of echinococcosis is less common. The causative agent of alveococcosis is E. (Alveococcus) multilocularis. It infests the liver almost exclusively. The alveolar echinococcus is a conglomerate of small cysts, called the parasitic node. Its rapid infiltrating process of growth is similar to that of a malignant tumor.

Echinococcosis usually interferes with the functions of the affected organ and causes it to atrophy. The contents of the cyst are allergenic and toxic, causing periodic outbreaks of hives and eo-sinophilia.

The symptoms of echinococcosis vary, depending on the location of the tapeworm. If the liver is involved, pain is felt in the upper right side of the abdomen; the liver enlarges, and jaundice sometimes occurs as a result of compression of the major bile ducts. Echinococcosis of the lungs is accompanied by chest pains and coughing. Sometimes the membrane and hooks of the parasites and hydatid fluid are discharged with sputum. Alveococcosis is characterized by extreme density of the liver and spread of the parasite to adjacent organs.

A diagnosis of echinococcosis is based on the results of clinical examinations, X rays, epidemiology, serodiagnosis, and Casoni’s intradermal test, which involves the injection of hydatid fluid into the skin. Treatment is mainly surgical, including the extirpation or lancing of a cyst and removal of a chitinous cyst with its contents, or the removal of the affected organ. Alveococcosis requires liver resection or enucleation of the parasitic node.

Echinococcosis of animals is caused by E. granulosus larvae that infest various internal organs of the intermediate hosts, which include many species of farm animals. The adult parasites, in the tapeworm stage, inhabit the small intestine of the definitive hosts, carnivorous animals.

Echinococcosis is common throughout the world. Dogs, which excrete the parasite’s eggs into the environment, are the main source of the causative agent. Sheep, cattle, swine, reindeer, and, less commonly, camels, goats, and horses are susceptible to the disease, which develops after the animals swallow the parasite’s eggs with feed or water. As the cysts grow, they compress the surrounding tissues, cause them to atrophy, and impair the functioning of organs, resulting in digestive and respiratory disorders, for example. The metabolites excreted by the parasites poison the animals.

Echinococcosis has no typical symptoms, because these vary with the location of the cysts and the severity of infestation. They may include dyspnea, coughing, exhaustion, and decrease in work productivity. The diagnosis is based on the results of immunity tests. No treatment is as yet available. Prevention consists in veterinary inspection of the slaughter of cattle and the detection and destruction of affected organs. It is imperative not to allow dogs to feed on the bodies of dead animals. Working dogs, especially those used in cattle-raising regions, should be periodically checked and dewormed and be taken care of properly.

REFERENCES

Deineka, I. Ia. Ekhinokokkoz cheloveka. Moscow, 1968.
Lukashenko, N. P., and I. L. Bregadze. “Ekhinokokkoz i al’veokokkoz.” In Mnogotomnoe rukovodstvo po mikrobiologii, klinike i epidemiologii infekts’tonnykh boleznei, vol. 9. Moscow, 1968. Pages 509–26.

A. G. KISSIN

echinococcosis

enUK

Echinococcosis

Definition

Echinococcosis (Hydatid disease) refers to human infection by the immature (larval) form of tapeworm, Echinococcus. One of three forms of the Echinococcus spp., E. granulosus, lives on dogs and livestock, and infects humans through contact with these animals. Allergic reactions and damage to various organs from cyst formation are the most common forms of disease in humans.

Description

E. granulosus is found in many areas of Africa, China, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Mediterranean and eastern Europe, as well as in parts of the western United States. The parasite lives in regions where dogs and livestock cohabitate. Direct exposure to infectious dogs, as well as parasitic eggs released into the environment during shedding, are both sources of human infection.In humans, cysts containing the larvae develop after ingestion of eggs. Cysts form primarily in the lungs and liver. Cysts developing in the liver are responsible for about two-thirds of echinococcosis cases. Echinococcosis is a significant public health problem in many areas of the world, but control programs have decreased the rate of infection in some regions. In Kenya alone, the numbers of persons infected each year is as high as 220 per 100,000 population.

Causes and symptoms

After ingestion, the eggs develop into embryos within the intestines and then travel to the liver and lungs through major blood vessels. The embryos then begin to form cysts within the liver and lungs, causing damage as they enlarge over a period of five to 20 years. Cysts may become over 8 in (20.3 cm) or more in size and contain a huge amount of highly allergenic fluid. Studies show that while the liver is most often targeted, lungs, brain, heart, and bone can also be affected.The major symptoms are due to compression damage, blockage of vessels and ducts (such as the bile ducts), and leakage of fluid from cysts. The following symptoms are frequent.

Liver involvement causes pain and eventually jaundice or cholangitis due to blockage of bile ducts. Infection of cysts leads to abscesses in up to 20%.
Lung cysts cause cough and chest pain.
Bone cysts cause fractures and damage to bone tissue.
Heart involvement leads to irregularities of heart beat and inflammation of the covering of the heart (pericardium).
Allergic reactions occur from leakage of cyst fluid that contains antigens. Itching, fever, and rashes are frequent, and fatal allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) have been reported. Eosinophils, which are blood cells involved in allergic reactions, are increased in many patients.

Diagnosis

X rays, computed tomography scans (CT scans), and ultrasound are very helpful in detecting cysts. Some cysts will develop characteristic hardening of organ tissues from calcium deposits (calcifications). Blood tests to detect antibodies are useful when positive, but up to 50% of patients have negative results. Examination of aspirated cyst fluid for parasites can be diagnostic, but carries the danger of a fatal allergic reaction. Treatment with anti-parasitic medications before aspiration is reported to decrease allergic complications and decrease the risk of spread during the procedure.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the size and location of cysts, as well as the symptoms they are producing. Surgical removal of cysts and/or surrounding tissue is the accepted method of treatment, but carries a risk of cyst rupture with spread or allergic reactions. Recent studies using medication alongside aspiration and drainage of cysts instead of surgery are very encouraging.The medication albenzadole can be taken before or after surgery or alone without surgery. However, its Infection with the larva of Echinococcus granulosus (shown above) is responsible for the disease echinococcosis.

Infection with the larva of Echinococcus granulosus (shown above) is responsible for the disease echinococcosis. (Illustration by Electronic Illustrators Group.)effectiveness as a single treatment is still not known. Multiple courses of medication are often necessary, with cure rates of only about 30%. Response to treatment is best monitored by serial CT scans or similar x-ray studies.

Prevention

Good hand washing, treating infected dogs, and preventing dogs' access to slaughter houses discourage spread of the disease. Limiting the population of stray dogs has also been helpful.

Resources

Other

"Percutaneous Drainage Compared with Surgery for HepaticHydatid Cysts." New England Journal of Medicine Online. http://content.nejm.org.

Key terms

Allergenic — A substance capable of causing an allergic reaction.Cholangitis — Infection or inflammation of the bile ducts; often causes abdominal pain, fever, and jaundice.Computed tomography (CT) scan — A specialized x-ray procedure in which cross-sections of the area in question can be examined in detail.Cyst — A protective sac that includes either fluid or the cell of an organism. The cyst enables many organisms to survive in the environment for long periods of time without need for food or water.Embryo — The very beginning stages of development of an organism.Jaundice — The yellow-greenish coloring of the skin and eyes due to the presence of bile pigments. The presence of jaundice is usually, but not always, a sign of liver disease.Tapeworm — An intestinal parasite that attaches to the intestine or travels to other organs such as the liver and lungs.Ultrasound — A noninvasive procedure based on changes in sound waves of a frequency that cannot be heard, but respond to changes in tissue composition.

echinococcosis

[e-ki″no-kok-o´sis] an infection, usually of the liver, caused by larval forms (cysts" >hydatid cysts) of tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus, marked by the development of expanding cysts; see also hydatid disease.

e·chi·no·coc·co·sis

(e-kī'nō-kok-kō'sis), Infection with Echinococcus; larval infection is called hydatid disease. Synonym(s): echinococciasis, echinococcus disease

echinococcosis

(ĭ-kī′nə-kə-kō′sĭs)n. pl. echinococco·ses (-sēz) Infestation with echinococci.

echinococcosis

Hydatid cyst disease, see there.

e·chi·no·coc·co·sis

(ĕ-kī'nō-kok-kō'sis) Infection with Echinococcus; larval infection is called hydatid disease Humans may serve as intermediate or dead-end hosts by harboring metacestode larvae.

echinococcosis

Infestation by larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus that results from the ingestion of faecally-carried eggs or proglottids. Also known as hydatid disease. The main causes are E. granulosus and E. multilocularis which respectively cause cystic and alveolar echinococcosis, both being serious diseases. The definitive hosts of E. granulosus are dogs and wolves; those of E. multilocularis are red and arctic foxes. Humans are the intermediate hosts. Hydatid cysts develop mainly in the liver and lungs but may occur almost anywhere in the body. Small cysts may be symptomless, but cysts grow and may rupture causing serious complications.

echinococcosis

e·chi·no·coc·co·sis

echinococcosis

Echinococcosis

echinococcosis

Echinococcosis

REFERENCES

echinococcosis

Echinococcosis

Definition

Description

Causes and symptoms

Diagnosis

Treatment

Prevention

Resources

Other

Key terms

echinococcosis

e·chi·no·coc·co·sis

echinococcosis

echinococcosis

e·chi·no·coc·co·sis

echinococcosis

echinococcosis

Synonyms for echinococcosis

noun infestation with larval echinococci (tapeworms)

Synonyms

Related Words