Human alveolar echinococcosis in Slovenia.
Between January 2001 and December 2005, 1263 patients suspected of having echinococcosis were screened serologically by indirect haemagglutination assay (IHA). IHA-positive patient sera were then retested by western blot for confirmation and differentiation between Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis infection. Of 43 sera confirmed as Echinococcus-positive, nine appeared to be specific for alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by E. multilocularis. AE-positive serological results corresponded to the clinical and/or imaging findings concerning the patients' liver cysts. The detected incidence of AE was 0.45/10(5) inhabitants, which suggests that clinicians and health authorities in Slovenia should give greater attention to AE in the future.
Logar
J
J
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. jernej.logar@mf.uni-lj.si
Soba
B
B
Lejko-Zupanc
T
T
Kotar
T
T
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007159:Immunologic Tests / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017524:Slovenia / Q000453:epidemiology