Echinococcus Granulosus IgG ELISA

Echinococci are microscopic cestodes (tapeworms) with a length of 1.4 to 6 mm which are dependenton the genus found.  • either in dogs or other canids (E. granulosus)  • or in foxes, coyotes and wolves (E. multilocularis)  Sources of infection are final hosts (i.e. dogs for E. granulosus and mainly foxes for E. multilocularis)and food contaminated with parasite eggs.After ingestion of a suitable intermediate host, the egg hatches in the small bowel and releases anoncosphere that penetrates the intestinal wall and through the circulatory system into various organswhere it develops into a cyst. Echinococcus infections remain silent for years before the enlarging cystscause symptoms in the affected organsE. granulosus larvae (oncospheres) begin to vesiculate mainly in the liver but also in the lungs and inother organs (20%). The parasites form spherical, unilocular, fluid-filled cysts and can achievediameters between 1-15 cm.In contrast to cystic echinococcosis, E. multilocularis larvae are found almost exclusively (98%) in theliver, but secondary lesions can spread metastatically to other organs (lungs, kidneys, CNS andothers). The parasites grow infiltrative and tumor-like in the host tissue.E. granulosus occurs practically worldwideE. multilocularis occurs in the northern hemisphere, including central Europe and the northern parts ofEurope, Asia, and North America.