Strain differences in Echinococcus granulosus, with special reference to the status of equine hydatidosis in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The genetics of speciation in the genus Echinococcus are briefly discussed. As the organism is a hermaphrodite and multiplies asexually in the larval stage, the genetic mechanism for the ready production of new strains is inherent in the life-cycle. Some biological, biochemical and nutritional differences between the horse and sheep strains are examined. The sheep strain may be grown to sexual maturity, in vitro, in a diphasic system; the horse strain fails to grow in such a system. Differences have also been demonstrated between the soluble proteins of the two strains. The sheep strain is infective to man but, probably, non-infective to horses. The horse strain (which is now the major strain in the U.K. and Ireland) appears to be poorly infective to sheep and may prove to be non-infective to man. The importance of determining the basic characteristics of other strains of E. granulosus are also stressed.