Emerging Human Alveolar Echinococcosis in Hungary (2003-2018): a Retrospective Case Series Analysis from a Multi-centre Study

Overview

Journal BMC Infect Dis

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2021 Feb 11

PMID 33568075

Citations 11

Authors

Balazs Dezsenyi

Zsolt Duboczki

Tamas Strausz

Eszter Csulak

Veronika Czoma

Zsolt Kaposztas

Maria Fehervari

Aron Somoracz

Andras Csilek

Attila Olah

Kalman Almasi

Attila Patonai

Denes Gorog

Zoltan Szell

Zoltan Tolnai

Tamas Sreter

Jozsef Danka

Herbert Auer

Beate Gruner

Thomas F E Barth

Adriano Casulli

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by Echinococcus multilocularis is an underreported, often misdiagnosed and mistreated parasitic disease mainly due to its low incidence. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human AE patients in Hungary for the first time.

Method: Between 2003 and 2018, epidemiological and clinical data of suspected AE patients were collected retrospectively from health database management systems.

Results: This case series included a total of 16 AE patients. The mean age of patients was 53 years (range: 24-78 years). The sex ratio was 1:1. Four patients (25%) revealed no recurrence after radical surgery and adjuvant albendazole (ABZ) therapy. For five patients (31.3%) with unresectable lesions, a stabilization of lesions with ABZ treatment was achieved. In seven patients (43.8%), progression of AE was documented. The mean diagnostic delay was 33 months (range: 1-122 months). Three AE related deaths (fatality rate 18.8%) were recorded.

Conclusions: AE is an emerging infectious disease in Hungary with a high fatality rate since based on our results, almost every fifth AE patient died in the study period. Differential diagnosis and appropriate surgical and medical therapy for AE is an urging challenge for clinicians in Hungary, as well as in some other European countries where E. multilocularis is prevalent.

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