Cystic echinococcosis in the Campania region (southern Italy).

Echinococcosis is cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by adult or larval stages of tapeworrns belonging to the genus Echinococcus Rudolphi, 1 80 1 . Within the genus Echinococcus four species are presently recog­ nised, namely Echinococcus granulosus, E. multiloc­ ularis, E. oligarthrus and E. vogeli, and taxonomic revision of the genus is probably needed (Thompson RCA, McManus DC, 2002, Trends Parasitol 1 8: 452457) . E. granulosus, the major species of medicaI and public health importance which causes cystic echinococcosis (hydatidosis) , has a global distribu­ tion. The range of intermediate host species (domesti­ cate ungulates) depends on the infecting strain of E. granulosus, regional or local differences in the avail­ ability of the various intermediate host species, and other factors . Laboratory and field observations have revealed considerable phenotypic variability among isolates of E. granulosus from different species of intermediate hosts (Thompson and McManus, 2002) . In total, l O distinct strains (geno­ types) of E. granulosus have been described using DNA sequence data: G 1 (common sheep strain), G2 (Tasmania sheep strain) , G3 (buffalo strain) , G4 (horse strain) , G5 (cattle strain), G6 (carneI strain), G7 (pig strain), G8 (cervid strain) , G9 (human strain) , and G 1 0 (Fennoscandian cervid strain) (McManus DC, 2002, Trans R Soc Med Hyg 96: 1 5 1 1 57 ; Lavikainen A, Lehtinen MJ, Meri T, Hirle­ va-Koski V, Meri S, 2003, Parasitology 1 27 : 2072 1 5; Maravilla P, Andrew Thompson RC, Palacios­ Ruiz JA, Estcourt A, Ramirez-Solis E, Mondragon­ de-la-Pena C, Moreno-Moller M, Cardenas-Mejia A, Mata-Miranda P, Aguirre-Alcantara MT, Bonilla­ Rodriguez C, Flisser A, 2004, Acta Trop 92: 23 1 236). Although the validity of the G9 genotype has been questioned (Snabel V, D'Amelio S, Math­ iopoulos K, Turcekova L, Dubinsky P, 2000, J Helminthol 74: 1 771 8 1 ) and it might correspond to the G7 genotype. The horse strain G4 and the ca t­ de strain G5 have been also considered to represent distinct species, E. equinus and E. ortleppi, respec­ tively (Thompson and McManus, 2002) . Data regarding the presence and d i s t ribut ion of echinococcosis-hydatidosis in definitive and inter­ mediate hosts are scant and fragmentary in Italy