ABSTRACT
We report the first finding of Echinococcus vogeli in a paca, Cuniculus paca, in the tropical forest of Misiones, in the north of Argentina. The presence of the bush dog, Speothos venaticus, E. vogelís only natural definitive host, was also reported. The polycystic hydatids, 2 to 3 cm in diameter, were only found in the liver of an adult paca. The size range of the hooks and the relative proportion blade/handle did not show significant differences with respect to the ones reported for E. vogeli. The size of E. granulosus hooks, measured for comparison purposes, was significantly smaller (p E. vogeli in Argentina. The probability of finding neotropical echinococcosis in humans reinforces the need to expand the search for E. vogeli in Argentina. Echinococcosis due to E. vogeli is very aggressive and may cause death in about a third of the human population affected.
Subject(s)
Echinococcosis/veterinary , Echinococcus/isolation & purification , Liver/parasitology , Rodentia/parasitology , Animals , ArgentinaABSTRACT
Antecedentes. Hace 30 años se reconoció que las tumoraciones poliquísticas en 13 pacientes autóctonos de países tropicales sudamericanos eran producidos por una nueva especie de parásitos, el Echinococcus vogeli. Ahora se conocen 200 casos en 12 países (desde Panamá hasta Brasil y Perú). Lugar. Cali, Colombia; Nueva Orleans y Seattle, USA. Diseño. Estudio experimental y retrospectivo. Objetivo. Se presenta esta enfermedad a países con zonas tropicales donde la enfermedad aún es desconocida. Métodos. Se estudiaron 78 pacientes. El curso fue crónico, de quistes abdominales, algunos dolorosos, hepáticos, con o sin cirrosis biliar, asociados a lesiones torácicas y mesentéricas. El 85% se localizó en el hígado y el 14% en el pulmón. El diagnóstico se basó en el examen físico, la radiología, la procedencia rural, el conocimiento de la paca, en la convivencia con perros y en la serológica. Conclusiones. El tratamiento se basa en la cirugía y el albendazol. La equinococosis poliquística tropical por el Echinococcus vogeli representa un problema médico severo en América del Sur, con mortalidad del 29%. Los casos diagnosticados representan una pequeña proporción de las infecciones humanas.(AU)
Background. Thirty year ago it was recognized experimentally that polycystic tumors in 13 autochthonous patients from south American countries were produced by a new species: Echinococcus vogeli. As of march 2007, 200 cases were known from 12 countries (from Panamá, Colombia and Venezuela to Brasil and Perú). Places. Cali, Colombia; New Orleans and Seattle, USA. Design. Experimental and retrospective studies. Objective. This disease is presented to the countries with tropical areas, where the illness is steel unknown. Methods. 78 patients were studied. They had cysts, sometime painful, connected with the liver, with or without biliar cirrhosis, associated with pulmonary and mesenteric lesions. 85% in the liver, 14% in the lung. The diagnosis was based in palpation, radiological imaging, rural origin, knowledge of the paca, history of closed contact with dogs and positive serology for echinococcosis. Conclusions. The combination of surgery and albendazol was the most efficient treatment. The tropical polycystic echinococcosis is a severe medical problem in South America with a 29% mortality. The number of diagnosed cases probably only represent a small proportion of the human infections.(AU)
