[en] For the last ten years, the southern part of Belgium has been recognized as a low-risk endemic area for alveolar echinococcosis. This infection, caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, usually induces a severe liver condition, and can sometimes spread to other organs. However, alveolar echinococcosis involving bones has been described only very rarely. Here, a fatal case of spondylodiscitis due to E. multilocularis contracted in southern Belgium is reported.
Disciplines :
Immunology & infectious disease
Author, co-author :
KEUTGENS, Aurore ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Clinical biology > Hematology
SIMONI, Paolo ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Imagerie de l'appareil locomoteur
DETREMBLEUR, Nancy ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Anatomie pathologique
FRIPPIAT, Frédéric ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Maladies infectieuses et médecine interne générale
GIOT, Jean-Baptiste ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Maladies infectieuses et médecine interne générale
SPIRLET, François; Centre hospitalier de Dinant > Médecine interne
AGHAZARIAN, Saro; Centre hospitalier de Dinant > Anathomopathologie
DESCY, Julie ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Microbiologie médicale
MEEX, Cécile ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Microbiologie médicale
HUYNEN, Pascale ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Microbiologie médicale
Melin, Pierrette ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Bactériologie, mycologie, parasitologie, virologie
MULLER, Norbert; Institute of Parasitology, BERN, Switzerland
GOTTSTEIN, Bruno; Institute of Parasitology, Bern, Switzerland
CARLIER, Yves; Free university of Brussels > Laboratory of Parasitology
Hayette, Marie-Pierre ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Bactériologie, mycologie, parasitologie, virologie
Trachsel D, Deplazes P, Mathis A. 2007. Identification of taeniid eggs in the faeces from carnivores based on multiplex PCR using targets in mitochondrial DNA. Parasitology 134:911-920.
Deplazes P. 2006. Ecology and epidemiology of Echinococcus multilocularis in Europe. Parassitologia 48:37-39.
Kern P, Bardonnet K, Renner E, Auer H, Pawlowski Z, Ammann RW, Vuitton DA, Kern P. 2003. European echinococcosis registry: human alveolar echinococcosis, Europe, 1982-2000. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 9:343- 349.
Romig T. 2009. Echinococcus multilocularis in Europe-state of the art. Vet. Res. Commun. 33(Suppl 1):S31-S34.
Eckert J. 1997. Epidemiology of Echinococcus multilocularis and E. granulosus in central Europe. Parassitologia 39:337-344.
Gunn A, Pitt SJ. 2012. Helminths parasites, p 86-136. In Gunn A, Pitt SJ (ed), Parasitology: an integrated approach, 1st ed. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, United Kingdom.
Losson B, Kervyn T, Detry J, Pastoret PP, Mignon B, Brochier B. 2003. Prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in southern Belgium. Vet. Parasitol. 117:23-28.
Vervaeke M, Dorny P, Vercammen F, Geerts S, Brandt J, Van Den Berge K, Verhagen R. 2003. Echinococcus multilocularis (Cestoda, Taeniidae) in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in northern Belgium. Vet. Parasitol. 115: 257-263.
Delbecque K, Detry O, Hayette MP, Jeukens T, Delvenne P, Hardy N, Delwaide J, Demonty J, Boverie J, De Mol P, Hauwaert C, Honoré P, Boniver J, Jacquet N. 2002. A case of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis contracted in Belgium. Acta Gastroenterol. Belg. 65:55- 60.
Detry O, Honoré C, Delwaide J, Demonty J, De Roover A, Vivario M, Thiry A, Hayette MP, Belaïche J, Meurisse M, Honoré P. 2005. Endemic alveolar echinococcosis in southern Belgium? Acta Gastroenterol. Belg. 68:1- 4.
Takakuwa M, Katsuki M, Matsuno T, Hirayama T, Yoshida E. 2002. Hydatid disease at the proximal end of the clavicle. J. Orthop. Sci. 7:505- 507.
Georges S, Villard O, Filisetti D, Mathis A, Marcellin L, Hansmann Y, Candolfi E. 2004. Usefulness of PCR analysis for diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis with unusual localizations: two case studies. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42:5954 -5956.
Nell M, Burgkart RH, Gradl G, von Eisenhart-Rothe R, Schaeffeler C, Trappe D, da Costa CP, Gradinger R, Kirchhoff C. 2011. Primary extrahepatic alveolar echinococcosis of the lumbar spine and the psoas muscle. Ann. Clin. Microbiol. Antimicrob. 15:10 -13.
Reuter S, Seitz HM, Kern P, Junghanss T. 2000. Extrahepatic alveolar echinococcosis without liver involvement: a rare manifestation. Infection 28:187-192.
Ammann RW, Eckert J. 1996. Cestodes. Echinococcus. Gastroenterol. Clin. North Am. 25:655- 689.
Tappe D, Weise D, Ziegler U, Müller A, Müllges W, Stich A. 2008. Brain and lung metastasis of alveolar echinococcosis in a refugee from a hyperendemic area. J. Med. Microbiol. 57:1420 -1423.
Ohsaki Y, Sasaki T, Shibukawa K, Takahashi T, Osanai S. 2007. Radiological findings of alveolar hydatid disease of the lung caused by Echinococcus multilocularis. Respirology 12:458-461.
Rubini-Campagna A, Kermarrec E, Laurent V, Regent D. 2008. Hepatic and extrahepatic alveolar echinococcosis: CT and MR imaging features. J. Radiol. 89:765-774.
Gottstein B, Jacquier P, Bresson-Hadni S, Eckert J. 1993. Improved primary immunodiagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis in humans by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the Em2plus antigen. J. Clin. Microbiol. 31:373-376.
Diebold-Berger S, Khan H, Gottstein B, Puget E, Frossard JL, Remadi S. 1997. Cytologic diagnosis of isolated pancreatic alveolar hydatid disease with immunologic and PCR analyses-a case report. Acta Cytol. 41:1381- 1386.
Müller N, Frei E, Nunez S, Gottstein B. 2007. Improved serodiagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis of humans using an in vitro-produced Echinococcus multilocularis antigen. Parasitology 134:879-888.
Brunetti E, Kern P, Vuitton DA. 2010. Expert consensus for the diagnosis and treatment of cystic and alveolar echinococcosis in humans. Acta Trop. 114:1-16.
