ABSTRACT
Echinococcosis is a frequent hepatic parasitic disease in several countries but it is practically absent in Mexico. A cattle strain of Echinococcus granulosus was identified by RAPD, PCR-RFLP and mitochondrial CO1 gene analysis in an autochthonous case. The parasite was obtained after a laparoscopic excision of a liver cyst from a patient that was symptomatic for 6 years but mis-diagnosed before hospitalization.
Subject(s)
Echinococcosis, Hepatic/transmission , Echinococcus granulosus/classification , Echinococcus granulosus/isolation & purification , Adult , Animals , Cattle/parasitology , Echinococcosis, Hepatic/parasitology , Female , Humans , Mexico , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length , Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique , Swine/parasitology , Zoonoses/transmissionABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of hydatid disease in Mexico. BACKGROUND: Liver hydatid disease is the most frequent hepatic parasitic disease in developed countries and is considered practically absent in Mexico. METHODS: In this paper we report identification, clinical management, and epidemiologic parasitologic, and molecular biological studies of an autochthonous case of hydatid disease in Mexico. RESULTS: Hepatic cyst was identified by imaging techniques. The patient received cestocidal treatment and the parasite was excised by laparoscopy. It was not possible to identify the origin of the Echinococcus strain neither by epidemiologic studies performed in the patient's household nor by RAPD pattern obtained with DNA of the protoscolices. Infection of a dog with protoscolices was not successful probably because they were damaged by the cestocidal drug. CONCLUSIONS: Care should be taken in the future to identify other possible autochthonous patients harboring liver hydatid cysts to treat them in an adequate and timely fashion, and to identify the strain of Echinococcus granulosus that infects patients in Mexico.
