Alveolar Echinococcosis (Echinococcus Multilocularis) And Other Forms Of Echinococcosis (Echinococcus Vogeli And Echinococcus Oligarthrus)

Abstract At present four species of the genus Echinococcus are recognized as valid, namely Echinococcus granulosus (Batsch 1786), Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863, Echinococcus oligarthrus (Diesing 1863), and Echinococcus vogeli Rausch and Bernstein, 1972 (Thompson 1995). Larval forms, the metacestode stages, of all four species may establish and develop in the human host and cause various forms of echinococcosis (hydatid disease) (Table 53.1). This chapter deals with Echinococcus multilocularis, E. vogeli, and E. oligarthrus. In order to reduce the number of references, review articles are preferentially cited.