Human cystic and alveolar echinococcoses as indication to liver transplantation

The human cystic and alveolar echinococcoses are zoonotic diseases caused by larval stages of the tapeworms Echinococcus granulosus and E multilocularis. In man the liver form of the diseases develops most frequently. Recent epidemiological data indicate that the distribution of E multilocularis in the central Europe is wider than was previously anticipated; more cases of human alveococcosis during the last years have also been noted in Poland. In the present paper we analyzed several cases of human echinococcoses from Poland with respect to diagnosis and treatment as well as the indications for liver transplantation.