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echinococcosis
Monday 5 December 2005
hydatid disease
Definition: Echinococcosis, which is often referred to as hydatid disease or echinococcal disease, is a parasitic disease that affects both humans and other mammals, such as sheep, dogs, rodents and horses.
Images
hepatic cystic echinococcosis / Echinococcus granulosus
There are three different forms of echinococcosis found in humans, each of which is caused by the larval stages of different species of the tapeworm of genus Echinococcus sp. :
cystic echinococcosis (also known as unilocular echinococcosis), which is caused by Echinococcus granulosus
alveolar echinococcosis (also known as alveolar colloid of the liver, alveolar hydatid disease, alveolococcosis, multilocular echinococcosis, “small fox tapeworm”), which is caused by Echinococcus multilocularis
polycystic echinococcosis (also known as human polycystic hydatid disease, neotropical echinococcosis), which is caused by Echinococcus vogeli and very rarely, Echinococcus oligarthus .
Alveolar and polycystic echinococcosis are rarely diagnosed in humans and are not as widespread as cystic echinococcosis, but polycystic echinococcosis is relatively new on the medical scene and is often left out of conversations dealing with echinococcosis, and alveolar echinococcosis is a serious disease that not only has a significantly high fatality rate but also has the potential to become an emerging disease in many countries.
Types
cystic echinococcosis (Echinococcus granulosus)
alveolar echinococcosis (Echinococcus multilocularis)
polycystic echinococcosis (Echinococcus oligarthus)
Hydatid disease is caused by hydatid cysts
Hydatid disease is caused by the larval forms of Echinococcus tapeworms. E. granulosus is the most frequent parasite, whereas E. multilocularis causes a more aggressive clinical disease.
- Echinococcus granulosus :
- classic form of hydatid cyst
- affects liver, lung, kidneys, spleen, brain, musculoskeletal system, heart
- Echinococcus multilocularis :
- alveolar (multilocular) hydatidosis
Structural components of the hydatid cyst
outer acellular laminated membrane
germinal membrane
protoscolices, attached and budding from the membrane
Localization
pulmonary echinococcosis (pulmonary hydatid cyst )
hepatic echinococcosis (hepatic hydatid cyst - echinococcal liver cyst )
cardiac echinococcosis (cardiac hydatid cyst )
Images
protoscolex
See also
hydatid cyst (Echinococcus granulosus )
- scolex
