ABSTRACT

The adult form of the small cestode Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis) is found in carnivorous animals, especially in the fox. This cestode, which is observed in the northern hemisphere of the world, is the cause of a generally fatal, progressing disease in humans, known as “alveolar echinococcosis” (AE). The metacestodes of E. multilocularis can be experimentally developed in the Meriones unguiculatus species of rodents, and it is possible to use these metacestodes for numerous purposes, primarily for antigens required for diagnosis. It is with this aim that in this study for the first time in Turkey, E. multilocularis metacestodes were developed in Meriones unguiculatus and an indigenous strain was isolated using the surgical material from a patient diagnosed with alveolar echinococcosis.