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The study aimed to assess the heterogeneity in the distribution of disease awareness, attitudes, and practices related to cystic echinococcosis (CE) in different subgroups and inform health authorities regionally and globally for future evidence-based tailored prevention practices in the region. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 242 participants from Kyrgyz Republic (KR), Issyk-Kul oblast, and utilized survey data to analyse demographics, household information, echinococcosis-related practices, and knowledge. Participants in high-risk environments (HRE) and engaging in high-risk behaviours (HRB) linked to CE contracting were identified. Out of 242 participants, 39% lived in HRE, with 22% engaging in HRB of contracting CE. 13% lived in HRE and engaged in HRB. Only 6% followed all preventive measures, while 56% followed some. 97.5% of participants had heard about CE, but only 6% identified all transmission routes, and 63.4% were unaware of dog contact as a route. Education reduced the odds of being in the highest risk group (HRE&HRB) (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.23–0.80). The study's findings are alarming, emphasizing factors contributing to regional endemicity. We anticipated a similar pattern in the neighbouring countries, given the shared nomadic customs and historical parallels. Examination of the heterogeneity of disease awareness and practices allows tailored prevention strategies. Urgent prevention programmes focusing on echinococcosis awareness in the KR are crucial to addressing challenges posed by nomadic habits.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a zoonotic disease of increasing concern worldwide. Before benzimidazole drug therapy, 10-year death rates were 90% without surgical resection. In unresectable patients, long-term benzimidazole therapy is highly effective in stabilizing the disease course. We performed a retrospective study of 334 AE patients treated at the University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, during 1973-2022. Annual diagnoses increased over time, and more cases were detected by chance at earlier stages. Ninety patients died, mostly from causes unrelated to AE. Relative survival of AE patients compared with the population of Switzerland demonstrated a steady decrease 5 years after diagnosis. Patient age at diagnosis was the primary variable associated with overall survival. In a propensity-score matched survival analysis, early curative surgery was associated with overall improvement but not AE-specific survival. We conclude that survival of patients with AE is limited by non-AE causes and that early curative surgery does not improve AE-specific survival.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in humans is caused by the larval (metacestode) stage of Echinococcus multilocularis, commonly known as the ‘fox tapeworm’. This disease predominantly targets the liver and has an invasive growth pattern, allowing it to spread to adjacent and distant tissues. Due to its gradual progression and tumour-like characteristics, early diagnosis and prompt intervention are crucial, particularly as there are currently no highly effective vaccines or chemotherapeutics against AE. Current estimates suggest that ~10,500 new infections occur annually worldwide; however, more research is required to refine the prevalence and incidence data for both human and animal hosts in endemic areas of the world. This article discusses the biology of E. multilocularis, outlines aspects of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and management of AE, reviews its global distribution, annual incidence, and prevalence, highlights the role of molecular parasitology in advancing therapeutic strategies, and presents recommendations for improving the prevention and control of AE in human populations.

Objectives The aim of this retrospective study was to collect epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, imaging, management, and follow-up data on cases of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) diagnosed and/or followed up within the Namur Hospital Network (NHN) in order to gather information on the challenges, pitfalls, and overall experience in the diagnosis and treatment of AE. Methods EchiNam was a multicenter retrospective study. Patients diagnosed and/or treated for probable or confirmed AE in the NHN between 2002 and 2023 were included in the study. Patient selection was based on diagnosis codes, laboratory results, and albendazole (ABZ) dispensing. Results A total of 22 AE cases were retrieved, of which four were classified as probable and 18 as confirmed cases. Nine patients were either asymptomatic or had symptoms attributed to another disease. Clinical examination yielded pathologic findings in 10 patients. The median duration from the first AE-suggestive laboratory abnormalities to diagnosis was 176 days, and the median duration from the first AE-related imaging abnormalities to diagnosis was 133 days. Overall, 12 patients underwent surgical resection, with only four achieving complete lesion resection. Nine patients experienced ABZ-related adverse effects, with temporary ABZ discontinuation in five. Conclusion Due to various factors such as a long incubation period and a lack of awareness among Belgian physicians, AE is often diagnosed at advanced disease stages. Treatment then becomes more complex or even suboptimal, resulting in prolonged therapy, higher risk of adverse effects, significantly impaired quality of life, poor prognosis, and higher mortality rates. Measures should be taken to achieve early diagnosis in endemic areas.

Human alveolar echinococcosis is a notifiable parasitic infectious disease in most European countries; however, in practice, it is under-reported by national health systems. To fill this knowledge gap, data on the number, incidence, and trend of cases in Europe were extracted through a systematic review approach from both the scientific and grey literature, covering 1997–2023. This systematic review identified 4207 human alveolar echinococcosis cases from 28 of the 40 European countries investigated. Historically endemic Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland accounted for 2864 (68·08%) of 4207 cases documented in Europe, and Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia represented an additional 887 (21·08%) cases. Based on incidence rates and trends detected in this study, two main epicentres were seen in countries in the Alpine and the Baltic areas. The mean annual incidence from 1997 to 2023 throughout Europe was 0·063 cases per 100 000 people and in EU member states was 0·060 cases per 100 000 people. Data collected during this period suggest that alveolar echinococcosis is emerging in almost every country where this neglected parasitic infectious disease has been detected.

The purpose of this study is to assess some aspects of the burden of cystic and alveolar echinococcosis in the Kyrgyz Republic. From 2015-2020 a total of 5568 cases of primary cystic echinococcosis (CE) were reported and a further 1008 recurrent cases. Over the same time period 880 primary cases of primary alveolar echinococcosis (AE) were reported and a further 343 recurrent cases. The estimated DALYs for CE was 7849, that is 1308 per annum or 19.5 per 100,000 per annum. For AE was there were 3809 DALYs, that is 634 per annum or 9.5 per 100,000 per annum. The proportion of fatal cases of AE was 3.6 times higher than from CE. The total economic damage in terms of purchasing power equivalent (PPE) from CE amounted to more than 10,5 million international US dollars. For AE it amounted to more than 5.1 million international US dollars. Most of the financial burden falls on the patients themselves and amounts to 68.4%, i.e., 1223 PPE dollars per case out of total spending 1615 PPE dollars per case. To reduce the social and economic burden of echinococcosis, it is necessary to timely identify the disease, prevent the development of complications and multiple lesions, and promote preventive chemotherapy where appropriate. A deep understanding of the etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and tactics of early diagnosis of various forms of echinococcosis is also important for timely detection, effective control, and, most importantly, the organization of preventive measures to combat this disease.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an endemic disease in southern Chile. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of CE among relatives of patients who underwent surgical intervention for this disease in Cautín, a province of southern Chile. Cross-sectional study. Relatives of patients who underwent surgery for hepatic echinococcosis (HE), who lived at the same address, during the period 2000-2020 were studied. A total of 288 relatives of 322 patients who underwent surgery for HE participated in a CE screening. All these relatives were interviewed and underwent abdominal ultrasonography, chest X-ray and immunodiagnostic studies (relatives who had been diagnosed with or had undergone surgery for CE were excluded). Descriptive statistics were applied. Prevalence calculation, odds ratio (OR), and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were determined. Abdominal or thoracic CE was verified in 42 relatives of subjects operated on for HE (mean age 41±8 years; 73.8% women; 38.1% of cases had two or more cysts), all of them new and asymptomatic cases. CE was detected in the lungs, liver, peritoneum, and spleen in 16.7%; 71.4%; 7.1%; and 4.8%, respectively. The overall prevalence of EQ during the studied time period was 14,6% (17.9% and 12.3% in relatives of first and second degree respectively (OR:1.56; CI 95%: 0.81; 3.01). There is a high prevalence of CE in relatives of patients undergoing surgery by this disease in the province of Cautín, Chile.

Background Geographical and meteorological factors have been reported to influence the prevalence of echinococcosis, but there’s a lack of indicator system and model. Objective To provide further insight into the impact of geographical and meteorological factors on AE prevalence and establish a theoretical basis for prevention and control. Methods Principal component and regression analysis were used to screen and establish a three-level indicator system. Relative weights were examined to determine the impact of each indicator, and five mathematical models were compared to identify the best predictive model for AE epidemic levels. Results By analyzing the data downloaded from the China Meteorological Data Service Center and Geospatial Data Cloud, we established the KCBIS, including 50 basic indicators which could be directly obtained online, 15 characteristic indicators which were linear combination of the basic indicators and showed a linear relationship with AE epidemic, and 8 key indicators which were characteristic indicators with a clearer relationships and fewer mixed effects. The relative weight analysis revealed that monthly precipitation, monthly cold days, the difference between negative and positive temperature anomalies, basic air temperature conditions, altitude, the difference between positive and negative atmospheric pressure anomalies, monthy extremely hot days, and monthly fresh breeze days were correlated with the natural logarithm of AE prevalence, with sequential decreases in their relative weights. The multinomial logistic regression model was the best predictor at epidemic levels 1, 3, 5, and 6, whereas the CART model was the best predictor at epidemic levels 2, 4, and 5.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a globally prevalent zoonotic disease. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and follow-up data of patients between May 2009 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed by screening data from a hospital automation system. A total of 238 (females, n=139 and males, n=99) patients with a mean age of 40.6±20.58 years were included. Less than half (40.8%) of the patients were living in the countryside. Hepatic involvement of CE was most frequently (72.2%) seen. A majority (75.6%) of the patients were symptomatic, but abdominal pain was the most frequently seen symptom. For diagnosis, in all patients, imaging modalities were used, while in 66% of the patients, serological methods were also employed. The patients received both medical and surgical treatments (78.5%, n=187), only surgical treatment (10.5%, n=25), or only medical treatment (8.8%, n=21). Surgical treatment was performed for patients with hepatic (n=139/176, 80.6%), pulmonary (n=78/94, 82.9%), splenic (n=7/9; 77.7%), and mesenteric (n=6/7, 85.1%) cysts, and patients cases with brain, bone, muscle, omentum, bladder, and adrenal cysts had undergone surgical intervention. Publication of regional data is important in terms of epidemiological considerations and may aid in the formulation of standard treatment approaches.

Background: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a neglected parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus multilocularis that is difficult to diagnose and treat. Methods: This systematic review has gathered articles presenting original data from the past 5 years, from January 2020 to December 2025, with epidemiological data (incidence, prevalence), treatment options, case reports, and other findings relevant to the prevention and control of this disease, representing the inclusion criteria of this study. Three medical databases were searched for the study: PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. To improve our understanding of the available data, no spatial or temporal restrictions were imposed on the study’s duration or follow-up period. Results: A total of 248 articles are included in this review, which describe atypical sites and complications owing to Echinococcus multilocularis infection, the heterogeneity of epidemiological studies in different endemic and non-endemic regions, diagnosis techniques based on imaging, histopathology, and molecular techniques, as well as surgical and non-surgical treatment options (and lack thereof regarding the latter). Conclusions: Although advances have been made in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of AE, challenges remain, particularly with regard to misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, and limited antiparasitic therapy.