Culture of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes: an alternative to animal use.

This article reviews the use of an in vitro culture model for the maintenance and proliferation of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes and the formation of protoscoleces. This model has been used to identify and characterize parasite molecules involved in host-parasite interactions, and is a suitable tool to perform in vitro drug-screening assays. The development of a simple and easy-to-handle assay to determine the effects of drugs on parasite viability, without the need for time-consuming animal experimentation, has opened the way for larger-scale in vitro drug screening.