Hydatid Disease in Toronto

Two case reports of Echinococcus granulosus disease are presented in detail, together with a survey of 35 cases of the disease encountered in Toronto hospitals since 1932; 32 of these have occurred since 1949. Only six of the 35 patients were born in and lived in Canada, and all of these came from Northern Ontario. The liver was involved in 20 of the 35 patients, and the lung in 16. In seven the lesions were multiple at the time of the first operation or several years later. The Casoni skin test was positive in 14 of 21 patients tested and the complement fixation test was positive in 13 of 16 subjects tested. Eosinophilia of 6% or more occurred in nine of the 26 patients on whom a differential white blood cell count was performed, and allergic manifestations were recorded in eight of the 35 subjects in the series.