Abstract
Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato that causes economic losses by affecting livestock and also poses a public health threat worldwide. The present study is the first retrospective report on the seroprevalence of anti-E. granulosus antibodies in humans in Pakistan. The study used data from 93 blood analysis reports of patients suspected of having CE from different medical centers in Lahore, Pakistan. Out of 93 sera samples, 20 (21.5%) were seropositive, and higher seropositivity (17.2%) was recorded with the indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) than with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The findings indicated that age, gender, and year had no significant relationship with the seropositivity of CE. The current study provides directions towards the management of the disease in the near future in Pakistan.
Highlights
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an essential parasitic zoonotic disease in humans and livestock caused by larvae of the cestode parasite Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato [1]
20 (21.5%) patients were found to be seropositive with a titer level of >12 and 71 (77.4%) were negative (
The highest prevalence was recorded using the indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test, with seropositivity of 21.9% in males and 13.5% in females; for ELISA, the seropositivity recorded in females was high at 5.76%, compared to 2.43% in males (Figure 1)
Summary
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an essential parasitic zoonotic disease in humans and livestock caused by larvae of the cestode parasite Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato [1]. The life cycle of the parasite comprises two hosts: the definitive carnivorous host (dogs, wolves, and foxes) in which the adult form of the parasite develops, and an herbivorous or omnivorous host in which the metacestode (larval stage) occurs [2]. Humans are incidental intermediate hosts and are infected by ingesting parasite eggs via contaminated food and water [4,5]. The metacestode form, which is called the hydatid cyst, develops and causes CE in intermediate hosts such as livestock, and humans behave as accidental intermediate hosts [6]. Intermediate hosts (mostly ungulates and lagomorphs) are the primary reservoirs for human CE infection [7,8]
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