maximus otter
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A group of doctors in Switzerland examined medical records of 334 patients who developed the disease alveolar echinococcosis (AE) over a 50-year span (1973–2022). AE is an understudied, life-threatening infection caused by the fox tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. The parasite is not common, but can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, particularly regions of China and Russia, and countries in continental Europe and North America.
In the parasite's intended lifecycle, adult intestinal worms release eggs into the feces of their primary host—foxes, or sometimes coyotes, dogs, or other canids. The eggs then get ingested by an intermediate host, such as voles. There, eggs develop into a spherical embryo with six hooks that pierce through the intestinal wall to migrate to the animal's organs, primarily the liver. Once nestled into an organ, the parasites develop into multi-chambered, thin-walled cysts—a proliferative life stage that lasts indefinitely. As more cysts develop, the mass looks and acts like cancer, forming necrotic cavities and sometimes metastasizing to other organs, such as the lungs and brain. The parasite remains in these cancerous-like masses, waiting for a fox to eat the cyst-riddled organs of its host. Back in a fox, the worms attach to the intestines and grow into adults.
Humans crash this vile cycle by accidentally eating the eggs excreted by infected foxes or other primary hosts.
In humans, the infection is insidious, with an asymptomatic incubation period of between 5 and 15 years. Once the disease develops, about 90 percent of people will die within 10 years if they are not treated. The most common treatment in the past has been surgically removing sections of organs where the cysts are endlessly proliferating, which doesn't always catch all the parasites. However, modern treatment has turned more toward using benzimidazole drugs that fight parasitic worms, namely albendazole or mebendazole.
Of the 334 patients with AE in the Swiss study—who were all treated at the University Hospital of Zurich between 1973 and 2022—the median age at diagnosis was 57.5 years. Of the 334 patients, 151 had some type of surgery to remove the parasites, and 315 received benzimidazole drug therapy. Over the 50-year study period, 90 patients died, but most of the deaths were from causes other than the parasitic infection. Only 13 deaths were caused by AE.
The Swiss analysis found a jump in infections starting around 2000. It's unclear what's causing this, but researchers have speculated that habitat expansion of primary host populations, an increased use of imaging in health care, and a more susceptible population may be possible explanations.
arstechnica.com
maximus otter
In the parasite's intended lifecycle, adult intestinal worms release eggs into the feces of their primary host—foxes, or sometimes coyotes, dogs, or other canids. The eggs then get ingested by an intermediate host, such as voles. There, eggs develop into a spherical embryo with six hooks that pierce through the intestinal wall to migrate to the animal's organs, primarily the liver. Once nestled into an organ, the parasites develop into multi-chambered, thin-walled cysts—a proliferative life stage that lasts indefinitely. As more cysts develop, the mass looks and acts like cancer, forming necrotic cavities and sometimes metastasizing to other organs, such as the lungs and brain. The parasite remains in these cancerous-like masses, waiting for a fox to eat the cyst-riddled organs of its host. Back in a fox, the worms attach to the intestines and grow into adults.
Humans crash this vile cycle by accidentally eating the eggs excreted by infected foxes or other primary hosts.
In humans, the infection is insidious, with an asymptomatic incubation period of between 5 and 15 years. Once the disease develops, about 90 percent of people will die within 10 years if they are not treated. The most common treatment in the past has been surgically removing sections of organs where the cysts are endlessly proliferating, which doesn't always catch all the parasites. However, modern treatment has turned more toward using benzimidazole drugs that fight parasitic worms, namely albendazole or mebendazole.
Of the 334 patients with AE in the Swiss study—who were all treated at the University Hospital of Zurich between 1973 and 2022—the median age at diagnosis was 57.5 years. Of the 334 patients, 151 had some type of surgery to remove the parasites, and 315 received benzimidazole drug therapy. Over the 50-year study period, 90 patients died, but most of the deaths were from causes other than the parasitic infection. Only 13 deaths were caused by AE.
The Swiss analysis found a jump in infections starting around 2000. It's unclear what's causing this, but researchers have speculated that habitat expansion of primary host populations, an increased use of imaging in health care, and a more susceptible population may be possible explanations.
Tapeworm in fox poop that will slowly destroy your organs is on the rise
The worm indefinitely proliferates into cystic masses in organs, mimicking cancer.
arstechnica.com
maximus otter
