Vossenlintworm
The adult tapeworms live in the gut of dogs and other carnivores and the eggs are passed out in the faeces. These eggs are ingested by an intermediate host where they form hydatid cysts within the body.
The intermediate hosts of Echinococcus granulosus include sheep, goats and wild herbivores. A dog becomes infected when it eats a sheep carcass containing hydatid cysts. Worm heads within the in the hydatid cyst grow into a small tapeworm in the gut of the dog and produce eggs. The intermediate hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis are generally small rodents.
Humans can pick up these eggs when handling infected dogs or coming into contact with dog faeces. These eggs can then develop into hydatid cysts within the body. These can become very large and may develop in the lungs, liver, brain and other sites. Surgery to remove cysts is very specialised and great care has to be taken to prevent the cysts from bursting. Should cysts burst, thousands of worm heads can be released and cause extreme shock and long term problems when they develop into further cysts. It is therefore a very serious problem in humans.
The close association with sheep means that the disease has a higher incidence in specific geographic locations. In the UK this is especially high in the Powys and North Gwent areas of Wales. This has implications for the local population as well as holiday makers with dogs.
The advice to dog owners includes:
- Regular worming with effective medications at an appropriate frequency
- Avoid feeding raw offal to dogs
- Avoid allowing your dog to stray or wander freely in areas where it could scavenge on sheep carcasses.
- Always wash your hands after handling dogs
- To prevent the introduction of Echinococcus multilocularis into the UK, dogs entering the country under the Pet passport scheme have to be treated for this parasite prior to entry.
