ABSTRACT
La hidatidosis es una zoonosis producida por el parásito Echinococcus granulosus. En el ciclo zoonótico del parásito, el hombre es un huésped intermediario y sufre la enfermedad tras la ingesta de alimentos y agua contaminados por la materia fecal de animales infectados. En Argentina, la enfermedad constituye un problema importante de salud pública. Suele manifestarse con compromiso hepático y pulmonar. La afectación de otros órganos, que incluyen el corazón, es infrecuente.
Hydatidosis is a parasitic infection caused by the Echinococcus granulosus larvae, transmitted by the ingestion of infected food, characterized by the formation of cysts in vital organs. In Argentina, the disease is spread throughout the territory, constituting an important public health issue. The disease usually affects the liver and lungs. The affection of other organs is rare, and even more uncommon the affection of the heart. We present the case of a disseminated hydatidosis in a pediatric patient, whose initial clinical manifestation was an acute arterial embolism of the right limb caused by the rupture of a hydatidic cardiac cyst.