Emerging alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in humans and high prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes and raccoon dogs in Lithuania

Mindaugas Šarkūnas,Kęstutis Strupas,Rasa Bružinskaitė,Alexander Mathis,Peter Deplazes,Audronė Marcinkutė,Vitalijus Sokolovas

doi:10.1186/1751-0147-52-s1-s11

Abstract

Summary The presence of the most important definitive and intermediate hosts suggests that conditions for the live cycle of E. multilocularis are favorable in Lithuania. While the main rodent hosts have not been investigated systematically in Lithuania, E. multilocularis has already been identified in one of 5 muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) captured in the Silutė district. The high prevalence of E. multilocularis in red foxes and raccoon dogs as well as a notable increase of AE in humans document that E. multilocularis is of emerging concern in Lithuania. The human AE cases were recorded from many parts of the country suggesting that the whole territory of Lithuania should be considered as an endemic area for E. multilocularis. Considering the long prepatent period of AE in humans we suggest that this zoonosis is present in the area investigated for at least a few decades.

Highlights

Echinococcus multilocularis is a small tapeworm exploiting mainly wild animals with the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) being the crucial definitive host in Europe [1]
Humans may get infected by uptake of eggs, and the tumor-like growth of the metacestode stage mainly in the liver may lead to a serious disease – alveolar echinococcosis (AE)
In addition to the morphological detection of E. multilocularis in one of 5 muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) captured in the Šilutė district of Lithuania [10], infertile and calcified metacestodes of E. multilocularis were identified by PCR in 0.4% (3/685) of pigs, and 2 of 240 examined dogs (0.8%) from the same area excreted E. multilocularis eggs [20] as characterised by multiplex PCR using primers specific for E. granulosus, E. multilocularis and Taenia spp. according to Trachsel et al [21]

Summary

Introduction

Echinococcus multilocularis is a small tapeworm exploiting mainly wild animals with the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) being the crucial definitive host in Europe [1]. The parasite’s prevalence in red foxes (35%) in the southern part of Lithuania [11] is comparable to the one (34.5%) reported from Poland [15] Based on these limited data, it remains unclear whether the East Baltic region is a newly established endemic area of an extending distribution to the eastern part of Europe, or just a hitherto unnoticed one. The high prevalence (58.7%) of E. multilocularis in red foxes in the examined areas suggests that these animals may play the most important role in the zoonotic transmission of this tapeworm in Lithuania. The raccoon dog is a highly susceptible definitive host for E. multilocularis [2] and there are reports on infected animals from Germany [18], Poland [19] and Lithuania [11]. In addition to the morphological detection of E. multilocularis in one of 5 muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) captured in the Šilutė district of Lithuania [10], infertile and calcified metacestodes of E. multilocularis were identified by PCR in 0.4% (3/685) of pigs, and 2 of 240 examined dogs (0.8%) from the same area excreted E. multilocularis eggs [20] as characterised by multiplex PCR using primers specific for E. granulosus, E. multilocularis and Taenia spp. according to Trachsel et al [21]

Conclusions

11. Bružinskaitė R

Findings

13. Danilevičius E