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Echinococcus

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Hydatidosis; Hydatid disease, Hydatid cyst disease

Symptoms:

• abdominal pain in upper right quadrant
• severe itching of skin
• cough
• bloody sputum
• chest pain
• fever

Signs and tests:

A physical examination may reveal abdominal pain, involvement of other organs, skin signs, and occasionally, shock.

The following tests may be done to determine the presence and location of the cysts:

• Chest x-ray
• Thoracic CT scan or ultrasound
• Abdominal X-ray
• Abdominal CT scan or ultrasound
• Blood test for antibodies to echinococcus
• Liver function tests

Most often, echinococcosis does not cause symptoms and is found accidentally when an imaging test is done for another reason.

• Review Date: 8/8/2006
• Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, M.D., MSc, DTM&H, Chief of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Kaiser Redwood City, CA & Adjunct Assistant Professor, Stanford University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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