ECHINOCOCCOSIS IN ROMANIA: AN OVERLOOKED ZOONOSIS

• Published in: Romanian archives of microbiology and immunology Vol. 81; no. 4; pp. 312 - 313
• Main Author: Ianus, Vlad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bucharest Institutul Cantacuzino 30.12.2022
• Subjects: Echinococcosis; Infections; Rural areas; Ultrasonic imaging; Zoonoses; Europe; Romania
• ISSN: 1222-3891; 2601-9418
• DOI: 10.54044/RAMI.2022.04.10

Dear Editor, It is with great interest that we have read the Journal Club review submitted to the Romanian Archives of Microbiology and Immunology by Gabriela Loredana Popa in regards to the HERACLES project and its findings in Romania [1], as presented by Tamarozzi et al. [2], as well as its overall impact in broadening our understanding of Echinococcosis within Central and Eastern Europe. As pointed out in this review, Echinococcosis is a difficult infectious disease to study, given the varying yearly reported prevalence. Echinococcosis is often defined as an emerging and re-emerging zoonosis [3], as the infection is typically asymptomatic for varying periods of time, with symptoms generally only being made apparent due to the size of the cyst and its interaction with surrounding tissue and structures. An interesting detail mentioned within the review in regards to how Echinococcosis is hard to diagnose is the fact that there seems to be a disagreement in regards to what constitutes an actual case of infection and what is regarded as a Cystic Lesion between official reports and cases reported within one center. Thus, a lack of clarity in case definition may also constitute an important issue when following the epidemiological trends of this disease.