Echinococcosis is a parasitic disease of tapeworms of the Echinococcus type. The two main types of the disease are cystic echinococcosis and alveolar echinococcosis. Less common forms include polycystic echinococcosis and unicystic echinococcosis.The disease often starts without symptoms and this may last for years. The symptoms and signs that occur depend on the cysts location and size. Alveolar disease usually begins in the liver, but can spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or brain. When the liver is affected, the patient may experience abdominal pain, weight loss, along with yellow-toned skin discoloration from developed jaundice. Lung disease may cause pain in the chest, shortness of breath, and coughing.The infection is spread when food or water that contains the eggs of the parasite is ingested or by close contact with an infected animal. The eggs are released in the stool of meat-eating animals that are infected by the parasite. Commonly infected animals include dogs, foxes, and wolves. For these animals to become infected they must eat the organs of an animal that contains the cysts such as sheep or rodents. The type of disease that occurs in human patients depends on the type of Echinococcus causing the infection. Diagnosis is usually by ultrasound though computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be used. Blood tests looking for antibodies against the parasite may be helpful as may biopsy.Prevention of cystic disease is by treating dogs that may carry the disease and vaccination of sheep. Treatment is often difficult.
While E. granulosus and E. multilocularis were both linked to human echinococcosis before or shortly after the 20th century, it was not until the mid-1900s that E. oligarthrus and E. vogeli were identified as and shown as being causes of human echinococcosis.Two calcified objects recovered from a 3rd- to 4th-century grave of an adolescent in Amiens (Northern France) were interpreted as probable hydatid cysts. A study of remains from two 8,000-year-old cemeteries in Siberia showed presence of echinococcosis. References
Further reading
Alimuddin I. Zumla; Gordon C. Cook; Patrick Manson (2003). "Section 10: Helminthic Infections 83. Echinococcosis/Hydatidosis". Mansons tropical diseases. Philadelphia: Saunders. ISBN 978-0-7020-2640-9. Vuitton DA, Millon L, Gottstein B, Giraudoux P (2014). "Proceedings of the international symposium — innovation for the management of echinococcosis. Besançon, March 27–29, 2014". Parasite. 21: 28. doi:10.1051/parasite/2014024. PMC 4071351. External links

WHO Echinococcosis Page
CDC Echinococcosis Page