ABSTRACT

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis. It continues to be a serious public health problem in many countries including Turkey. In Hatay, no previous study has been carried out; therefore, in this study, in order to determine its prevalence and to attract scientific attention to this issue, we have retrospectively evaluated cases of cystic echinococcosis in human patients presenting at the pathology laboratory of the Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Medicine, Research Hospital, as well as Antakya and Iskenderun State Hospitals. We have identified a total of 26 cases, of which 18 were in female patients (69.23%) and 8 in male patients (30.76%). The highest rate of cystic echinococcosis was found in the liver (57.6%), and lungs (19.23%). It was also found in the peritoneal region, spleen, cervical region, muscle, and an incision scar. In addition, the presence of cystic echinococcosis was investigated in 35,812 cattle slaughtered in Antakya slaughterhouse and 5,448 (3.23%) were found to have cystic echinococcosis.

Keywords: Cystic echinococcosis, Hatay province, Turkey