Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T05:53:33.887Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seroprevalence of Echinococcus granulosus infection in Croatian patients with cystic liver disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2010

I. Tabain ,
M. Sviben ,
S. Ljubin-Sternak ,
T. Vilibić-Čavlek  and
G. Mlinarić-Galinović
I. Tabain
Affiliation:
Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Microbiology Service, Rockeferellova 7, 10000Zagreb, Croatia
M. Sviben*
Affiliation:
Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Microbiology Service, Rockeferellova 7, 10000Zagreb, Croatia
S. Ljubin-Sternak
Affiliation:
Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Microbiology Service, Rockeferellova 7, 10000Zagreb, Croatia
T. Vilibić-Čavlek
Affiliation:
Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Microbiology Service, Rockeferellova 7, 10000Zagreb, Croatia
G. Mlinarić-Galinović
Affiliation:
Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Microbiology Service, Rockeferellova 7, 10000Zagreb, Croatia
*
*Fax: +385 1 4683 017 E-mail: mario.sviben@hzjz.hr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Cystic liver disease (CLD), presenting with solitary or multiple cysts in the liver, is a common diagnosis today, primarily due to the frequent application of modern radiological methods. There is a wide range of possible causes. CLD of infective origin is usually caused by an echinococcal species. During the past three decades a number of cystic echinococcosis (CE) control programmes have led to a significant decrease in the incidence of human hydatidosis in some endemic areas. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of E. granulosus infection in Croatian patients with CLD. A total of 540 serum samples from patients with hepatic cysts detected by imaging methods were screened for the presence of E. granulosus IgG antibodies using semiquantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Western blot technique was used as a confirmatory test for the CE diagnosis. The overall E. granulosus seroprevalence rate in patients with CLD was 3.9%. There was no significant difference in seroprevalence rate between male and female patients (P = 0.541). According to age groups, there was a significant difference in seropositivity among age groups (P = 0.002). The highest seroprevalence rate was detected in the youngest age group (up to 18 years), both in males and females (20% and 13%, respectively). This study indicates that CE still represents a public health problem in Croatia. Preventive measures should be used to control Echinococcus infections, including avoidance of contact with infected dogs, egg-contaminated soil or plants; control and treatment of dogs with antihelmintics; hand washing, improved sanitation and health education.

Type
Regular research papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 85 , Issue 2 , June 2011 , pp. 192 - 195
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ammann, R.W. & Eckert, J. (1996) Cestodes: Echinococcus. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America 25, 655–689.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barić, D. (1994) Retrospective study of echinococcosis in the Zadar region from 1960 to 1990. Liječnički Vjesnik 116, 251–254.Google ScholarPubMed
Cohen, H., Paolillo, E., Bonifacino, R., Botta, B., Parada, L., Cabrera, P., Snowden, K., Gasser, R., Tessier, R., Dibarboure, L., Wen, H., Allan, J.C., Soto de Alfaro, H., Rogan, M.T. & Craig, P.S. (1998) Human cystic echinococcosis in a Uruguayan community: a sonographic, serologic, and epidemiologic study. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 59, 620–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craig, P.S. (1997) Immunodiagnosis of Echinococcus granulosis and comparison of techniques for diagnosis of canine echinococcosis. pp. 85–118in Andersen, F., Ouhelli, H. & Kachani, M. (Eds) Compendium on echinococcosis in Africa and Middle Eastern countries with special reference to Morocco. Provo, Brigham Young University Print Services.Google Scholar
Craig, P.S., Rogan, M.T. & Allan, J.C. (1997) Detection, screening, and community epidemiology of taeniid cestode zoonoses. Cystic echinococcosis, alveolar echinococcosis and neurocysticercosis. Advances in Parasitology 38, 170–250.Google Scholar
Eckert, J. & Deplazes, P. (2004) Biological, epidemiological, and clinical aspects of echinococcosis, a zoonosis of increasing concern. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 17, 107–135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eckert, J., Gemmell, M.A., Meslin, F.X. & Pawlowski, Z.S. (Eds) (2001) WHOI/OIE manual on echinococcosis in humans and animals: a public health problem of global concern. Paris, World Organisation for Animal Health.Google Scholar
Forbes, A. & Murray-Lyon, I.M. (1991) Cystic disease of the liver and biliary tract. Gut 32 (Suppl.), S116–S122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grimm, F., Maly, F.E., Lü, J. & Llano, R. (1998) Analysis of specific immunoglobulin G subclass antibodies for serological diagnosis of Echinococcosis by a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology 5, 613–616.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Larrieu, E., Costa, M.T., Cantoni, G., Alvarez, J., Aquino, A., Giménez, N. & Pérez, A. (1994) Hydatidosis control in the province of Río Negro, Argentina: evaluation of the veterinary health care activities. Revista de Sanidad e Higiene Pública 68, 197–202.Google ScholarPubMed
Liance, M., Janin, V., Bresson-Hadni, S., Vuitton, D.A., Houin, R. & Piarroux, R. (2000) Immunodiagnosis of Echinococcus infections: confirmatory testing and species differentiation by a new commercial Western Blot. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 38, 3718–3721.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Logar, J., Soba, B. & Kotar, T. (2008) Serological evidence for human cystic echinococcosis in Slovenia. BMC Infectious Diseases 8, 63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McManus, D.P., Zhang, W., Li, J. & Bartley, P.B. (2003) Echinococcosis. Lancet 362, 1295–1304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menghebat, L., Jiang, L. & Chai, J. (1993) A retrospective survey for surgical cases of cystic echinococcosis in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, PRC (1951–90). pp. 135–145in Andersen, F., Chai, J. & Liu, F. (Eds) Compendium on cystic echinococcosis with special reference to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. Provo, Brigham Young University Print Services.Google Scholar
Morović, M. (1997) Human hydatidosis in Dalmatia, Croatia. Epidemiology and Infection 119, 271–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palmer, S.R., Biffin, A.H., Craig, P.S. & Walters, T.M. (1996) Control of hydatid disease in Wales. British Medical Journal 312, 674–675.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perdomo, R., Alvarez, C., Monti, J., Ferreira, C., Chiesa, A., Carbó, A., Alvez, R., Grauert, R., Stern, D., Carmona, C. & Yarzabal, L. (1997) Principles of the surgical approach in human liver cystic echinococcosis. Acta Tropica 64, 109–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Serra, I., Araya, C., Araneda, J. & Serra, V. (1995) Current situation of human hydatidosis in Chile. 2 proposals for correcting its under-notification. Revista Médica de Chile 123, 659–669.Google Scholar
Siracusano, A. & Bruschi, F. (2006) Cystic echinococcosis: progress and limits in epidemiology and immunodiagnosis. Parassitologia 48, 65–66.Google ScholarPubMed