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Spud's Down to Earth Advice on...

ECHINOCOCCUS GRANULOSUS

Echinococcus granulosus is the causative agent of hydatid disease in man and many other mammals. The dog acts as the definitive host for this species.

Life Cycle

Intermediate hosts for Echinococcus granulosus are sheep (mainly), pigs, cattle and humans.
Humans can become infected when they ingest eggs produced by the adult Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm in dogs. This may come about in a number of ways e.g.

when eating food contaminated with dog tapeworm eggs (e.g. vegetables grown in contaminated soil, or other foods fouled by dogs)
being licked by a dog near to your mouth (remember how it cleans itself!)
handling a dog and not washing yours hands afterwards

Once a person is infected in this way, cysts develop in the inner organs (e.g. liver, lungs or brain), often with fatal consequences.

Symptoms

Echinococcus granulosus infections remain silent for years before the enlarging cysts cause symptoms in the affected organs, as follows:
Liver - abdominal pain, a mass in the hepatic area, and biliary duct obstruction.
Lungs - chest pain, cough, and haemoptysis (coughing up blood from the respiratory tract).
Rupture of the cysts can produce fever, urticaria (skin eruption), and anaphylactic shock, as well as cyst dissemination.
In addition to the liver and lungs, other organs (brain, bone, heart) can also be involved, with a variety of associated symptoms.

Control

Regular worming of dogs.
Good personal hygiene i.e. thorough hand washing after handling dogs
Dogs to be kept away from any area where food is grown, stored or handled.

Other Information
Surgery is the most common form of treatment for echinococcosis, although removal of the parasite mass is not usually 100% effective. After surgery, medication may be necessary to keep the cyst from recurring.

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Thursday 9 September 2010