Molecular confirmation of human alveolar echinococcosis in Poland

Infections of humans with Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis (AE), a zoonosis, have been described with increasing frequency in Poland since 1994. In the attempt to verify these reports, we analyzed specimens obtained from a representative group of Polish patients. Liver lesions in patients with AE that was diagnosed on the basis of results of histological and serological tests contained E. multilocularis DNA, as shown by the presence of specific microsatellite sequences and mitochondrial 12S rDNA. The same tests clearly distinguished between AE and cystic echinococcosis, which is caused by Echinococcus granulosus. These data are unequivocal proof that human infections with E. multilocularis occur in Poland.