Cystic Echinococcosis

Abstract

Echinococcosis is one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) recognized by the World Health Organization. The two major species of medical importance are Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis. E. granulosus affects over 1 million people and is responsible for over $3 billion in expenses every year. In this minireview, we discuss aspects of the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis or cystic hydatid disease caused by E. granulosus.

FIG 1

(A) Gram stain of cyst fluid (magnification, ×200). (B) Wet-mount preparation of cyst fluid (magnification, ×200). (C) Ziehl-Neelsen stain of cyst fluid (oil immersion; magnification, ×1,000). (D) Papanicolaou stain of cyst fluid (magnification, ×400; polarized). (E) Diff-Quick stain of cyst fluid (magnification, ×400; polarized). (F) Hematoxylin and eosin stain of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cell block of cyst fluid (magnification, ×200). (Images courtesy of Diane Hensel [panels A and B], Cindy McCloskey [panel C], and Rachel Conrad [panels D to F], University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA; reproduced with permission.)

FIG 2

World Health Organization Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis classification of ultrasound images for cystic echinococcosis cysts (31). CE, cystic echinococcosis; CL, cystic lesion. “A” indicates CE3a, and “B” indicates CE3b (see the text for details). (Reprinted from reference with permission of the publisher.)