#southern #Hungary #tapeworm #dangerous #humans #appearing
The main targets of the worm are foxes and jackals, but unfortunately it also happens that they end up in humans, and then the trouble is quite big.
The results of a research concerning the counties of Somogy and Baranya revealed that the occurrence of the pathogen is influenced by several factors related to climate and surface cover, which provides important information for determining areas at risk of human infection and for developing protection strategies – writes the sonline.hu.
Both rodent species and predatory canids (foxes, golden jackals) are involved in the spread of the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm, which causes the disease. First, rodents, as intermediate hosts, become infected with the worm’s eggs, as a result of which a change similar to a malignant tumor develops in their liver. The parasite enters the definitive hosts, i.e. dogs, after eating the rodents.
Human diseases are caused by accidentally swallowing the eggs, which can happen by eating unwashed vegetables and fruits.
The infection can be asymptomatic for a long time, up to 5-15 years, and then appear with uncertain symptoms (general malaise, abdominal pain, weight loss), and finally, as the infection progresses, the symptoms become more and more serious due to the involvement of the liver, and in the absence of treatment, become life-threatening. In most cases, treatment consists of surgical removal of the affected area of the liver and lifelong medication.
Although the spread of the tapeworm that causes the disease is basically linked to the cold and temperate climate, in recent years more and more human diseases have been registered in the warmer, sub-Mediterranean regions of Europe, including in Hungary, the newspaper reports.
The investigations of the One Health Working Group operating on the Kaposvári Campus of MATE also revealed that
despite the warming climate, the infection rate is also increasing in the fox and golden jackal populations in Somogy County.
The working group’s experts explored possible epidemiological risks using a new statistical method that had not been used in parasitological research before. The results prove that the presence of wetlands increases the risk of infection in animals, while the annual rainfall and its balance only contribute to the survival of the disease in certain areas.
According to the results of the investigation, three higher-risk areas can be identified: Drávasík, Zselic, located south of Kaposvár, and the southern shore of Balaton.
As they write, the obtained results can contribute to the understanding of the tapeworm’s ecological needs, as well as to the definition of risky areas from the point of view of human infection and the development of control strategies.
(The opening image is an illustration)
