An analysis of the rostellar hooks of Australian isolates of Echinococcus granulosus revealed that there was less variation in larval (metacestode) than adult characters and that metacestode characters could be measured directly from adult worms. A factor analysis indicated that two factors, one representing a contrast between number of hooks and their length, and the other representing blade l...

Protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus were cultured in vitro in 500, 250 or 100 micrograms/l albendazole sulphoxide for 1,3,7,10,14d and then 'rescued' (R) into drug-free medium for the remainder of the culture period. Successful minimum lengths of therapy were much longer than for praziquantel, and only at 500 micrograms/l was the 10dR treatment as effective as continuous therapy for 28d. T...

Hydatid cysts in the neck and breast are rare and are incidental finding in neck and breast specimens. It is a zoonotic disease which is due to infectivity with larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. The disease is chronic and cysts can be lodged in different organs. It has cosmopolitan distribution and impact health and economical challenges for many countries throughout the world. Therefore...

BACKGROUND Echinococcus granulosus is usually transmitted between canid definitive hosts and ungulate intermediate hosts. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Lesions found in the livers of ground squirrels, Spermophilus dauricus/alashanicus, trapped in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, an area in China co-endemic for both E. granulosus and E. multilocularis, were subjected to molecular genotyping for...

In Vitro Protoscolicidal Activity of Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) Rind and Barberry (Berberis Vulgaris) Alcoholic Extracts against Hydatid Cysts Caused by Echinococcus granulosus

The problem of diagnosing Echinococcus granulosus in dogs has still only been partially resolved, even after the advent of biotechnology. The eggs of taeniid Cestoda are extremely similar, and thus identification by microscopic examination of the faeces is risky and non-specific. For this reason, Echinococcus granulosus was traditionally diagnosed in dogs ante mortem after an arecoline hydrobro...

BACKGROUND Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) is the causative agent of cystic echinococcosis (CE), which is a cosmopolitan zoonotic parasitic disease infecting humans and a wide range of mammalian species including cattle. Currently, little information is available on the genetic diversity of Echinococcus species among livestock in Sudan. In the present study, fifty (n = 50) hydatid cys...

Alveolar and cystic hydatidosis are caused by infection with the larval stages of Echinococcus multilocularis and Echinococcus granulosus, respectively. A host-protective antigen has been identified in E. granulosus. Here we identify the presence of a closely related protein in E. multilocularis, characterize and express a cDNA encoding the antigen (designated EM95), determine the structure of ...

BACKGROUND Production of native antigens for serodiagnosis of helminthic infections is laborious and hampered by batch-to-batch variation. For serodiagnosis of echinococcosis, especially cystic disease, most screening tests rely on crude or purified Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst fluid. To resolve limitations associated with native antigens in serological tests, the use of standardized an...

Metformin (Met) is an anti-hyperglycemic and potential anti-cancer agent which may exert its anti-proliferative effects via the induction of energetic stress. In this study we investigated the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of Met against the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. Metformin showed significant dose- and time-dependent killing effects on in vitro cultured protoscoleces and metac...