title: Alveolar echinococcosis in the zoological garden Basle.
abstract: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare, but potentially severe zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus (E.) multilocularis. Recent findings indicated an increasing importance of AE for non-human primates living in regions endemic for E. multilocularis. The death of five cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) and a lowland gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla) due to AE raised concern about the incidence of this parasite in the Basle Zoo. Consequently, a project was initiated to investigate the prevalence amongst an affected group of cynomolgus monkeys, as well as in foxes and mice. Three out of 46 monkeys were seropositive for E. multilocularis antigen. In two of these monkeys and in another three animals, which were seronegative, structures compatible with metacestodal cysts were observed using ultrasonography. Seven out of 35 free roaming foxes caught at the zoo were positive for an intestinal E. multilocularis copro-antigen ELISA, four of them shed taeniid eggs simultaneously. No lesions compatible with AE were present in 50 necropsied mice from the zoo area. These results indicate that the fox population is a potential source to introduce E. multilocularis and may thus represent a risk for the zoo animals.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Fisch- und Wildtiermedizin der Universität Bern.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rehmann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gröne
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gottstein
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sager
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Völlm
authors.forename: L N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Bacciarini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D002335:Carnivora; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002415:Cats; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes / Q000469:parasitology*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth