Rabies Laboratory, Communicable and Infectious Diseases, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2010 Dec;57(7-8):e65-70. doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01322.x.
Echinococcus multilocularis is highly endemic in red foxes in southern Belgium (region of Wallonia), especially in the higher located forested areas. The north of Belgium, including the regions of Flanders and Brussels, is more urbanized and has been colonized entirely by red foxes since the 1980s. A temperospatial analysis of compiled epidemiological data from 1996 to 2003 predicted a northwest spread of the cestode from Wallonia and the Netherlands towards Flanders and Brussels (Prev. Vet. Med. 2006, 76, 137-150). In 2007-2008, none of 187 examined foxes from the north tested positive (<2.8%, α = 0.01), compared to 1.7% in 1996-1999. This suggests that the parasite is not emerging in the examined area and the endemic region has not significantly extended northwest during the last decade. The possible reasons are discussed in the article, including the relatively low altitude, milder climate or low abundance of suitable intermediate hosts. The low prevalence in foxes and the generally low infection rate in humans imply that the risk for public health in Flanders and Brussels is limited anno 2007-2008.
多房棘球绦虫在比利时南部（瓦隆大区）的红狐中高度流行，尤其是在地势较高的森林地区。比利时北部，包括佛兰德斯和布鲁塞尔地区，城市化程度更高，自 20 世纪 80 年代以来已完全被红狐占据。对 1996 年至 2003 年期间汇编的流行病学数据进行的时空分析预测，这种绦虫将从瓦隆大区和荷兰向佛兰德斯和布鲁塞尔西北方向传播（《预防兽医医学》2006 年，76 卷，137-150 页）。2007-2008 年，在北部检查的 187 只狐狸中，没有一只呈阳性（<2.8%，α = 0.01），而 1996-1999 年的阳性率为 1.7%。这表明寄生虫在检查区域并未出现新的感染，且在过去十年中，流行区域并未显著向西北方向扩展。文章中讨论了可能的原因，包括相对较低的海拔、较温和的气候或合适中间宿主的数量较少。在狐狸中的低流行率和人类中通常较低的感染率意味着 2007-2008 年，佛兰德斯和布鲁塞尔的公共卫生风险有限。
