Echinococcus multilocularis (Cestoda), the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis in humans: first record in Poland

Abstract

Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of human alveolar echinococcosis, was found for the first time in Poland in 2 of 20 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), originating from the area of Gdansk (northern Poland). This finding supports the hypothesis that the endemic area of this parasite in central Europe (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, and Austria) is not an isolated focus as previously anticipated but is connected with the large endemic zone in Russia.