Surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment of alveolar echinococcosis in a dog.

Surgical removal of macroscopically detectable metacestode tissue followed by postoperative chemotherapy according to established human protocols resulted in complete clinical remission and immediate normalization of hyperglobulinemia in a dog with alveolar echinococcosis (AE). The disease is caused by the metacestode stage of the cestode, Echinococcus multilocularis. In endemic areas, AE should be included in the differential diagnosis of polycystic liver masses, especially if concomitant hyperglobulinemia is present. However, the importance of AE is not only the disease of the single dog itself but also the potential risk of infection for humans in an endemic area.