Hydatid disease imposing serious threat on human health and great loss in livenotstock pastoralism remains a major public health problem in western China. To assess and monitor the effect of control program on transmission dynamics, we used the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in slaughtered sheep at slaughterhouse as an indicator during the period of 2007 to 2013 in Emin County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The results showed a significant decline trend of prevalence in all age groups during the 7 years when the control program was implemented; particularly, the rate was reduced by 72% after first 3 years. Among the sheep slaughtered, the age distribution evidenced that the prevalence increased significantly as the sheep grew older. The baseline data indicated that the rate was 4.5% at the age <1, 6.7% at age 2~, and reached to the highest 17.9% at age > or =4 years. Earlier response to the intervention pressure was seen in the sheep at the younger age. Significant decline started from 2008 at the age <1, from 2009 at age of 1~, 2010 at 2~ to 3~, and the latest, in 2012 at age > or =4. This study demonstrated that the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in slaughtered sheep may be used as an indicator to assess and monitor the transmission status during and after control program providing information for betterment of performance to sustain control strength.
Abattoirs/statistics & numerical data ; Animals ; China/epidemiology ; Echinococcosis/epidemiology/parasitology/prevention & control/*veterinary ; Female ; Male ; Prevalence ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases/epidemiology/parasitology/*prevention & control

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most widespread zoonotic helminthiases, which can last an asymptomatic infection for several years. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate serum antibody prevalence of CE among asymptomatic people in Uzbekistan using ELISA. A total of 2,547 serum samples were collected, 66 from confirmed CE patients and 2,481 of patients with other diseases than CE at a hospital in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The serum samples were screened for CE specific IgG antibodies by ELISA using cystic fluid antigen obtained from sheep. The serum antibody positive rate was 89.4% (59/66) in CE and 3.6% (89/2,481) in other disease patients. The present ELISA recognized 89.4% sensitivity and 96.4% specificity. The ELISA absorbance of positive samples was distributed 0.271-0.971 for CE and 0.273-0.887 for other disease patients. The other disease patients with high absorbance over 0.3 were 50 (2.0%) who were presumed to be active CE patients. The patients in their 40s showed the highest positive rate of 5.2% (P=0.181), and women were 4.4% while men were 3.1% positive (P=0.136). The data confirmed that there are many asymptomatic patients of CE in Tashkent. It is indicated that CE is an endemic disease of public health importance in Uzbekistan.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth/*blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Echinococcosis/*blood/epidemiology/parasitology ; Echinococcus/*immunology/isolation & purification ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/*blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Uzbekistan/epidemiology ; Young Adult

Hepatic echinococcosis, also called echinococcosis, is a health-threatening disease commonly found in pasture, and belongs to parasitic zoonoses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and the risk factors of echinococcosis in Qinghai province in order to provide fundamental data for prevention and control of echinococcosis in Qinghai province. A total of 23 445 people from 21 counties were enrolled in this study by multi-stage stratified random sampling. Echinococcosis was diagnosed by using B-mode ultrasonography and serological tests. The results showed that the prevalence of echinococcosis was 4.47% (95%CI: 4.21%-4.73%) and serum positive rate (seroprevalence) was 15.47% (95%CI: 14.92%-16.02%) in 2010. The distribution of echinococcosis differed in age, sex, ethnicity, occupation and regions in Qinghai (P<0.05). GLMM analysis revealed that gender (female vs. male), ethnicity (Tibetan vs. other ethnicities), profession (herders vs. other professions) and region (autonomous prefectures vs. cities) were significant risk factors for echinococcosis (P<0.05). It was concluded that the prevalence of echinococcosis in 2010 was about 4% in Qinghai province, and the distribution of echinococcosis in Qinghai was associated with age, sex, ethnicity and profession.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Echinococcosis, Hepatic ; diagnostic imaging ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Echinococcus ; immunology ; physiology ; Epidemics ; prevention & control ; Female ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupations ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Sex Factors ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult

Uzbekistan is endemic of cystic echinococcosis (CE). In order to estimate endemicity of CE, we collected data from emergency surgery due to CE in 2002-2010 and also investigated the prevalence of hydatid cysts in the liver and lungs of sheep at an abattoir in Uzbekistan from July 2009 to June 2010. In 14 emergency hospitals, 8,014 patients received surgical removal or drainage of CE during 2002-2010, and 2,966 patients were found in 2010. A total of 22,959 sheep were grossly examined of their liver and lungs, and 479 (2.1%) and 340 (1.5%) of them were positive for the cyst in the liver and lungs, respectively. Echinococcus granulosus is actively transmitted both to humans and sheep, and CE is a zoonotic disease of public health priority in Uzbekistan.
Animals ; Echinococcosis/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Humans ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Uzbekistan/epidemiology

Although Serbia is recognized as an endemic country for echinococcosis, no information about precise incidence in humans has been available. The aim of this study was to investigate the skeletal manifestations of hydatid disease in Serbia. This retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the medical database of Institute for Pathology (Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade), a reference institution for bone pathology in Serbia. We reported a total of 41 patients with bone cystic echinococcosis (CE) during the study period. The mean age of 41 patients was 40.9+/-18.8 years. In 39% of patients, the fracture line was the only visible radiological sign, followed by cyst and tumefaction. The spine was the most commonly involved skeletal site (55.8%), followed by the femur (18.6%), pelvis (13.9%), humerus (7.0%), rib (2.3%), and tibia (2.3%). Pain was the symptom in 41.5% of patients, while some patients demonstrated complications such as paraplegia (22.0%), pathologic fracture (48.8%), and scoliosis (9.8%). The pathological fracture most frequently affected the spine (75.0%) followed by the femur (20.0%) and tibia (5.0%). However, 19.5% of patients didn't develop any complication or symptom. In this study, we showed that bone CE is not uncommon in Serbian population. As reported in the literature, therapy of bone CE is controversial and its results are poor. In order to improve the therapy outcome, early diagnosis, before symptoms and complications occur, can be contributive.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Bone Diseases/complications/epidemiology/*parasitology/radiography ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Echinococcosis/complications/epidemiology/*parasitology/radiography ; Echinococcus granulosus/isolation & purification/physiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Serbia/epidemiology ; Young Adult

Animals ; Cattle ; China ; epidemiology ; Echinococcosis ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; transmission ; Echinococcus granulosus ; pathogenicity ; Humans ; Seasons

According to increase of travel, the cases of imported echinococcosis have been increasing in Korea. The present study was undertaken to develop a serodiagnostic system for echinococcosis in Korea. For diagnosis of echinococcosis, the fluid of Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cysts was collected from naturally infected sheep in Uzbekistan. Also serum samples of infected patients who were surgically confirmed were collected in a hospital in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. According to the absorbance of 59 echinococcosis positive and 39 negative control serum samples, the cut-off value was determined as 0.27. The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA with hydatid fluid antigen were 91.5% and 96%, respectively. The antigen cross-reacted with the serum of some cysticercosis or clonorchiasis patients. However, immunoblot analysis on the cystic fluid recognized antigenic proteins of 7-, 16-, and 24-kDa bands in their dominant protein quantity and strong blotting reactivity. In conclusion, the present ELISA system using hydatid cyst fluid antigen from Uzbekistan sheep is sensitive and specific for diagnosis of echinococcosis cases.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Echinococcosis/blood/diagnosis/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Serologic Tests/*methods ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases/blood/diagnosis/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Uzbekistan/epidemiology ; Young Adult

Since the first 2 cases observed in southern Germany and the correct identification of a parasite at the origin of the disease by the famous scientist Rudolf Virchow in 1855, the borders of the endemic area of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) have never stopped to expand. The parasite was successively recognized in Switzerland, then in Russia, Austria and France which were long considered as the only endemic areas for the disease. Cases were disclosed in Turkey in 1939; then much attention was paid to Alaska and to Hokkaido, in Japan. The situation totally changed in 1991 after the recognition of the Chinese endemic areas by the international community of scientists. The world map was completed in the beginning of the 21st century by the identification of AE in most of the countries of central/eastern Europe and Baltic States, and by the recognition of cases in central Asia. Up to now, the disease has however never been reported in the South hemisphere and in the United Kingdom. In the mid-1950s, demonstration by Rausch and Schiller in Alaska, and by Vogel in Germany, of the distinction between 2 parasite species responsible respectively for cystic echinococcosis (“hydatid disease”) and AE put an end to the long-lasting debate between the "dualists", who believed in that theory which eventually proved to be true, and the "unicists", who believed in a single species responsible for both diseases. At the end of the 20th century, molecular biology fully confirmed the "dualist" theory while adding several new species to the initially described E. granulosus; within the past decade, it also confirmed that little variation existed within Echinococcus (E.) multilocularis species, and that AE-looking infection in some intermediate animal hosts on the Tibetan plateau was indeed due to a new species, distinct from E. multilocularis, named E. shiquicus. Since the 1970s, the unique ecological interactions between the landscape, the hosts, and E. multilocularis have progressively been delineated. The important role of the rodent/lagomorph reservoir size for the maintenance of the parasite cycle has been recognized within the last 2 decades of the 20th century. And the discovery of a close relationship between high densities of small mammals and particularities in land use by agriculture/forestry has stressed the responsibility of political/economic decisions on the contamination pressure. Urbanization of foxes in Europe and Japan and the major role of dogs in China represent the new deals at the beginning of the 21st century regarding definitive hosts and prevention measures.
Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Echinococcosis, Hepatic ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Echinococcus ; pathogenicity ; Humans

BACKGROUNDThe rodentia and lagomorpha animals are the intermediate hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis, their distribution and infection of this parasite may facilitate the infection of definitive hosts such as dogs. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of the intermediate hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis in Shiqu County, Sichuan, China.

METHODSA systematic sampling method was used to investigate the density of burrows of rodents and lagomorphs at 97 pasture sites in winter and summer pastureland and remote sensing (RS) technology was used to correlate their densities to the distribution of these animals in different landscape types.

RESULTSBased on the densities of Ochotona curzoniae, Microtus fuscus (dependent variable) and their burrow densities (independent variable) in survey points, regression equations were fitted respectively (Ochotona curzoniae, P < 0.0001, R(2) = 0.8705; Microtus fuscus, P < 0.0001, R(2) = 0.9736). Their burrow density in summer pastureland was higher than in winter pastureland (F = 36.65, P < 0.0001). The burrow densities of Ochotona curzoniae and Microtus fuscus in bareland and half-bareland are higher than in grassland (F = 7.73, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSThe regression relationship between the densities of Ochotona curzoniae and Microtus fuscus and their burrow densities indicate that the burrow densities could reflect the animal densities and that the burrow density was greater in summer pastureland than in winter pastureland. The main distribution areas of the intermediate hosts were in bareland and half-bareland.

Animals ; Arvicolinae ; parasitology ; China ; Echinococcosis ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Echinococcus multilocularis ; pathogenicity ; Lagomorpha ; parasitology

BACKGROUNDCystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonosis caused by the cestodes of the Echinococcus species. Its life cycle involves dogs and other canids as definitive hosts for the intestinal tapeworm, as well as domestic and wild ungulates as intermediate hosts for the tissue-invading metacestode (larval) stage. The disease has a special impact on disadvantaged pastoralist communities and is listed now among the three top priority neglected tropical disease (NTD). Therefore, CE is a neglected disease even in high endemicity regions. This study aimed at investigation of the prevalence of CE in different animals slaughtered for food consumption in Sinnar area, Blue Nile states in Sudan.

METHODSA survey of CE in livestock was conducted from April 2009 to March 2011 in Sinnar area, Blue Nile state in Sudan. Location, parasitological status and fertility conditions were determined. In addition, 120 hydatid cysts (30 from camels, 62 from cattle and 28 from sheep) were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and mitochondrial gene sequencing for the genetic allocation of Echinococcus strains or species

RESULTSThe prevalence of CE was 29.7% (30/101) in camels, 2.7% (62/2310) in cattle and 0.6% (26/4378) in sheep. It was shown that infection rates increased with age in camels, cattle and sheep. In camels, 67% (20/30) of the infected animals were aged between 2 - 5 years whereas 58% (36/62) of the infected cattle were > 5 years. In sheep, the prevalence rate was distributed equally between animals ranging 2 - 5 years and > 5 years. Even though multiple cysts were found in some animals, the average number of cysts per animal was close to 1 in all examined species. Lungs were found to be the predilection sites for the parasite in both camels and cattle, while most of the cysts found in sheep were located in the liver. About 63.4% of cysts encountered in camels were considered as large (5 - 7 cm), whereas those in cattle and sheep were medium (2 - 4 cm) and small (< 2 cm) respectively. The highest fertility rate was found in camel cysts with 85.4% (35/41) followed by cattle (50.0%, 32/64) and sheep (39.0%, 11/28). All examined cysts belonged to Echinococcus canadensis G6, which was confirmed to be the overwhelmingly predominant species in that area.

CONCLUSIONThe epidemiological situation in Sinnar area, Blue Nile state is characterized by intense transmission of Echinococcus canadensis G6, thereby closely resembling the situation in most other regions of Sudan.

Animals ; Camelus ; parasitology ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases ; epidemiology ; Echinococcosis ; epidemiology ; Echinococcus ; genetics ; pathogenicity ; Geography ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sheep ; parasitology ; Sheep Diseases ; epidemiology ; Sudan ; epidemiology