Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013 Jul 11;7(7):e2313. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002313. Print 2013.
Alveolar echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the metacestode of Echinococcus multilocularis. Many species of small mammals, including arvicolid rodents or Ochotona spp., are natural intermediate hosts of the cestode. The main aim of this study was to identify natural intermediate hosts of E. multilocularis in Chenaran County, Razavi Khorasan Province, northeastern Iran, where the prevalence of infected wild and domestic carnivores is high.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A program of trapping was carried out in five villages in which this cestode was reported in carnivores. The livers of 85 small mammals were investigated for the presence of E. multilocularis infection using multiplex PCR of mitochondrial genes. Infections were identified in 30 specimens: 23 Microtus transcaspicus, three Ochotona rufescens, two Mus musculus, one Crocidura gmelini, and one Apodemus witherbyi.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A range of small mammals therefore act as natural intermediate hosts for the transmission of E. multilocularis in Chenaran County, and the prevalence suggested that E. multilocularis infection is endemic in this region. The existence of the life cycle of this potentially lethal cestode in the vicinity of human habitats provides a significant risk of human infection.
泡状棘球蚴病是一种由多房棘球绦虫的中绦期引起的人畜共患疾病。许多小型哺乳动物，包括田鼠科或鼠兔属动物，是该绦虫的天然中间宿主。本研究的主要目的是在伊朗东北部拉扎维呼罗珊省的陈纳兰县确定多房棘球绦虫的天然中间宿主，那里感染的野生动物和家养食肉动物的流行率很高。
方法/主要发现：在报告有这种绦虫感染的五个村庄中，进行了诱捕计划。使用线粒体基因多重 PCR 对 85 只小型哺乳动物的肝脏进行了多房棘球绦虫感染的调查。在 30 个标本中发现了感染：23 只东方田鼠、3 只红耳鼠兔、2 只小家鼠、1 只甘肃鼢鼠和 1 只子午沙鼠。
结论/意义：因此，一系列小型哺乳动物是陈纳兰县多房棘球绦虫传播的天然中间宿主，流行率表明多房棘球绦虫感染在该地区流行。这种潜在致命绦虫生活史在人类栖息地附近的存在，为人类感染提供了重大风险。
