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Echinococcosis, also called hydatid disease, hydatidosis, or echinococcal disease, is a parasitic disease of tapeworms of the ''Echinococcus'' type. The two main types of the disease are ''cystic echinococcosis'' and ''alveolar echinococcosis''. Less common forms include ''polycystic echinococcosis'' and ''unicystic echinococcosis''. The disease often starts without symptoms and this may last for years. The symptoms and signs that occur depend on the cyst's location and size. Alveolar disease usually begins in the liver but can spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or brain. When the liver is affected the person may have abdominal pain, weight loss, and turn yellow. Lung disease may cause pain in the chest, shortness of breath and coughing. The disease is spread when food or water that contains the eggs of the parasite is eaten or by close contact with an infected animal.〔 The eggs are released in the stool of meat-eating animals that are infected by the parasite. Commonly infected animals include dogs, foxes and wolves.〔 For these animals to become infected they must eat the organs of an animal that contains the cysts such as sheep or rodents.〔 The type of disease that occurs in people depends on the type of ''Echinococcus'' causing the infection.〔 It is a type of worm infection and is a neglected tropical disease. Diagnosis is usually by ultrasound though computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be used. Blood tests looking for antibodies against the parasite may be helpful as may biopsy.〔 Prevention of cystic disease is by treating dogs that may carry the disease and vaccination of sheep. Treatment is often difficult. The cystic disease may be drained through the skin, followed by medication.〔 Sometimes this type of disease is just watched. The alveolar type often needs surgery followed by medications.〔 The medication used is albendazole, which may be needed for years.〔〔 The alveolar disease may result in death.〔 The disease occurs in most areas of the world and currently affects about one million people. In some areas of South America, Africa, and Asia up to 10% of the certain populations are affected.〔 In 2010, it caused about 1200 deaths down from 2000 in 1990. The economic cost of the disease is estimated to be around 3 billion USD a year.〔 It is classified as a neglected tropical disease and belongs to the group of diseases known as helminthiasis.〔 It can affect other animals such as pigs, cows and horses.〔 ==Classification== The most common form found in humans is cystic echinococcosis (also known as unilocular echinococcosis), which is caused by ''Echinococcus granulosus''. The second most common form is alveolar echinococcosis (also known as alveolar colloid of the liver, alveolar hydatid disease, alveolococcosis, multilocular echinococcosis, "small fox tapeworm"), which is caused by ''Echinococcus multilocularis'' and the third is polycystic echinococcosis (also known as human polycystic hydatid disease, neotropical echinococcosis), which is caused by ''Echinococcus vogeli'' and very rarely, ''Echinococcus oligarthrus''. Alveolar and polycystic echinococcosis are rarely diagnosed in humans and are not as widespread as cystic echinococcosis, but polycystic echinococcosis is relatively new on the medical scene and is often left out of conversations dealing with echinococcosis, and alveolar echinococcosis is a serious disease that has not only a significantly high fatality rate, but the potential to become an emerging disease in many countries. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Echinococcosis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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