Cystic Echinococcosis Epidemiology in Spain Based on Hospitalization Records, 1997-2012

BackgroundCystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Although present throughout Europe, deficiencies in the official reporting of CE result in under-reporting and misreporting of this disease, which in turn is reflected in the wrong opinion that CE is not an important health problem. By using an alternative data source, this study aimed at describing the clinical and temporal-spatial characteristics of CE hospitalizations in Spain between 1997 and 2012.ConclusionsHospitalizations distribution was uneven by year and autonomous region. Although CE hospitalization rates have decreased considerably due to the success of control programs, it remains a public health problem due to its severity and economic impact. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve its oversight and surveillance, since officially reported data are underestimating the real burden of CE in Spain.     

Professor Shiu-Ying Hu (1908-2012)

Professor Shiu-Ying Hu(胡秀英教授),originally named Xing-Lian Hu(胡兴廉),was the first female plant taxonomist of China and the first Chinese woman to earn a Ph.D.in botany from Harvard University (Fig.1).She passed away on May 22,2012.     

Echinococcosis (Hydatid Disease): Review and Report of a Case of Secondary Echinococcosis

Echinococcosis is a disease caused by the larval form of Echinococcus granulosus. The adult worm lives parasitically in the intestine of the definitive host, the dog, wolf and other wild carnivores. The ova, which are passed in the feces, are ingested by grazing animals. The intestinal juices free the ovum from its cuticle and, having entered a capillary, it is carried by the blood stream to the liver or lung, where it develops into a hydatid cyst. Man becomes infected by ingesting contaminated vegetables or drinking contaminated water.In a mature hydatid cyst there may be thousands of scolices and each one of these, if released from the hydatid cyst, may form a new cyst if it is planted in a suitable environment. Hydatid cysts are most commonly found in the liver and the lung, but may occur in other organs.A hepatic cyst may rupture into the peritoneal cavity and produce a hydatidoperitoneum. A pulmonary cyst frequently ruptures into a bronchus and is thus evacuated.The disease is of world-wide distribution. In Canada most of the cases of this disease have occurred among Indians and Eskimos. It is now known that a sylvatic cycle has been established in North America and that it serves as a source of infection of the dog and man.The patient reported herein had spontaneous rupture of a hepatic hydatid cyst, with subsequent development of secondary peritoneal echinococcosis. Repeated laparotomies had to be performed to relieve pressure on or obstruction of various organs. The patient made an uneventful recovery and is again usefully employed. No effective medical treatment for this disease is available.     

Recent Situation of Taeniasis in Mongolia (2002-2012)

Epidemiological situation of taeniasis in Mongolia was assessed based on mitochondrial DNA identification of the parasite species. Multiplex PCR was used on a total of 194 proglottid specimens of Taenia species and copro-PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays were utilized for detection of copro-DNA of 37 fecal samples from taeniasis patients submitted to the Mongolian National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) from 2002 to 2012. In addition, 4 out of 44 calcified cysts in beef kept in formalin since 2003 were evaluated for histopathological confirmation of cattle cysticercosis. All proglottid specimens and stool samples were confirmed to be Taenia saginata by multiplex PCR and by copro-PCR and LAMP, respectively. Cysts collected from cattle were morphologically confirmed to be metacestodes of Taenia species. T. saginata taeniasis was identified from almost all ages from a 2-year-old boy up to a 88-year-old woman and most prominently in 15-29 age group (37%, 74/198) followed by 30-44 age group (34.8%, 69/198 ) from 15 of Mongolia''s 21 provinces, while cattle cysticerci were found from 12 provinces. The highest proportion of taeniasis patients was in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.