title: Wilderness in the city: the urbanization of Echinococcus multilocularis.
abstract: A distinct increase in fox populations, particularly in urban areas, has been observed in Europe. This is of particular concern in endemic regions of the small fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, the aetiological agent of human alveolar echinococcosis. Novel tools have facilitated the investigation of the ecology of urban foxes and have demonstrated the urban wildlife cycle of E. multilocularis. Such studies are essential for estimating the risk of transmission to humans and to determine the basics for the development of control strategies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 266a, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland. deplazesp@access.unizh.ch
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deplazes
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hegglin
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gloor
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Romig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000635:transmission*; D004446:Echinococcus; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012377:Rodentia / Q000469:parasitology; D014504:Urban Health; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission