"Echinococcus multilocularis" a worm that can kill you!

[Abbe Osram]

Hi Guys,
I just watched the news and got a little chock. There seams to exist a worm called "Echinococcus multilocularis" his eggs are found in fox and dogs scat.
The report states that the east European countries and all the Alps are infected.
Sweden had been free from it but do to the fact of smuggling of dogs we have the first infection in the southern parts of sweden.

I have been a member now for over one year in this forum but have never heard us talking about this killer. The TV documentary stated that you can get the worm into your system by eating berries, mushrooms etc stuff we bushcrafter like to forage. Hunting or trapping fox etc can infect one too. I looked up some info on the net and this is what I found:

Alveolar echinococcosis is caused by an infection with the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis and is a very dangerous disease for humans. Adult worms mature in the intestine of the definitive host (usually fox, occasionally dog or cat) and the eggs are released in the feces. Accidental ingestion of soil, berries or vegetables contaminated with eggs iniate the infection in humans. Oncospheres hatch in the duodenum, penetrate the intestine and are carried via the bloodstream to organs. Although alveolar hydatid cysts have been found in other tissues, the most common site of development is the liver. The cysts are not limited by a membrane but penetrate the tissues and may resemble a slow growing carcinoma. Surgical removing is difficult but drugs have been found that stop the development of the metacestode. Medical imaging and serology give both useful and complementary information on the nature of the cyst and on the outcome of treatment.

As this worm can kill you, it’s a slow death about 15 to 20 years, I was wondering if you guys down in Europe knew about this worm and got knowledge how to deal with that threat to our lifestyle. For us here in the north it is a new thing and we still eat berries we pick in the woods. How do you deal with that threat and have your heard about it before? It would be nice to exchange some knowledge here and find a plan of action especially in mind for bushcrafters.

Here is a picture of a infected human liver:

cheers
Abbe

 

[Hoodoo]

The most common species in North America is E. granulosis. Ingestion of the egg is what will kill you. The tapworm is quite small and won't hurt you at all. The oncosphere forms a hydatid cyst which means it multiplies and can grow to quite a large size and displace various organs in your body, including your brain. The egg is easily filtered because it is quite large. Very common on Isle Royale in Lake Superior where wolves are the definitive host and moose get the hydatid cyst. Perhaps this is one of the best reasons out there for purifying your water.

 

[Abbe Osram]

The most common species in North America is E. granulosis. Ingestion of the egg is what will kill you. The tapworm is quite small and won't hurt you at all. The oncosphere forms a hydatid cyst which means it multiplies and can grow to quite a large size and displace various organs in your body, including your brain. The egg is easily filtered because it is quite large. Very common on Isle Royale in Lake Superior where wolves are the definitive host and moose get the hydatid cyst. Perhaps this is one of the best reasons out there for purifying your water.

Are you eating wild beeries without boiling them to death?
I was reading that the worm is hard to kill even in minus 80 degrees celsius in the freezer it has to be a lot of hours before you might kill the eggs.
The eggs we have here are quite small I supose as the poor guy who is going to die was only eating polar beeries. Do you boil everything you gather in the woods?

cheers
Abbe

 

[Tantalus]

I dont think either of the 2 are common in the UK , in fact I cant find any reference to them being found in the UK at all

As symptoms may take 15 to 20 years to appear it is a little difficult to pinpoint

One zoology book i checked said simply avoiding dog and fox faeces was a recommended prevention

Ok thats not so easy for a bushcrafter, but careful washing and cleaning and cooking of anything that grows below knee height isnt too hard

I came across multilocularis in Germany , landowners and hunters would post signs warning of "fuchsbandwurm" or fox tape worm, sometimes because of a legitimate danger but more often just to keep people and people with dogs away from their hunting grounds, (if it wasnt fuchsbandwurm it was tollwut - rabies, but a variation on the same theme)

The locals told me , wash everything that came off the forest floor, fungi, blaeberries, cranberries, and never eat them without washing first, and preferably cooking too

Tant

 

[torjusg]

Such things pisses me off! I hate to think that we too in the future may have to let this resource rot on the stalk.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[Povarian]

When foraging for berries, the rule used by me and mine is to not eat the waz-berries. Waz-berries are those below waist level which have a chance of having been wazzed (wee ed) on by animals or people. We've never found any shortage (in season) above this height when foraging.

 

[Marts]

When foraging for berries, the rule used by me and mine is to not eat the waz-berries. Waz-berries are those below waist level which have a chance of having been wazzed (wee ed) on by animals or people. We've never found any shortage (in season) above this height when foraging.

That's good responsible practice anyway - it leaves the lower-down resources within the reach of the smaller mammals, especially when winter is on the way
We all win

 

[Beer Monster]

Never heard of this worm before. The only one similar to it that i've heard of in the UK is Toxocara canis. The one that the press occasionally bring up as it has a reputation for making children go blind if they play with dog poo.

 

[torjusg]

Well, most of the berries in inland Scandinavia grows below knee level so picking the waist high berries isn't much of an option.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[mark a.]

It's good to know about the worms, and how to avoid them, so cheers for letting us know, Abbe.

Will it change anything I do? Probably not. There are so many things out there that could kill us (be it deadly worms, cancer-inducing plastics or double decker buses) that it's not really worth worrying or getting upset about. Just being sensible goes a long way, and most of us here have loads of common sense.

 

[Hoodoo]

Here is a diagram of the lifecycle.

Here's a link to a more detailed lifecycle from the CDC:

Echinococcus

Here is a "fact sheet" from the CDC that some might find useful:

Fact Sheet

 

[Abbe Osram]

Thanks Hoodo for the great fact sheet.
I wonder if the worms can survive on a fur of a fox.
I have still one fox skin hanging in the shead from last year.
cheers
Abbe

 

[Hoodoo]

As a rule of thumb, the eggs of tapeworms are generally far more fragile than cysts. I'm not sure what the "shelf life" of an Echinococcus egg is though but I would guess that they dry out and die fairly quickly depending on the humidity of the microenvironment they are in.

 

[Hoodoo]

Well, I was just looking at the photo of that egg in that lifecycle diagram I posted and I noticed that the Echinococcus egg has a fairly thick wall which means that it might be fairly resistant to drying. I will have to delve into this a bit more. I'll see if I can order some slides of Echinococcus eggs.

Here's a photo I took of a slide of the adult tapeworm. It's actually quite small and does not add any more segments than what you see here. In other words, it's not the adult tapeworm you have to worry about. Proglottids are segments and the scolex is what tapeworms use to attach to the gut.

 

[ilovemybed]

At least it looks like we're not involved in the spread of these blighters because the only way of us spreading it is to be eaten by a dog, right?

 

[Tantalus]

well done spreading fear and panic

but has anyone heard of a case in the UK ?

Tant

 

[Hoodoo]

well done spreading fear and panic

but has anyone heard of a case in the UK ?

Tant

I always thought that fear and panic arose from ignorance, not knowledge.

 

[Abbe Osram]

well done spreading fear and panic

but has anyone heard of a case in the UK ?

Tant

The meaning is not to spread fear but information. What you will do with the info is up to you alone. Why should the worm stop at the UK border and avoid England? With the lucrative smuggling of dogs from the east to Europe and with an extremely high infection rate in Switzerland and the entire alp region it would surprise me if you don’t have the worm in England already. We got it now in the south of Sweden.

The fact sheet from Hoodoo gives a very clear picture about the risks. Study it and make up your mind. We can be infected while eating berries straight from the forest, mushrooms, handling fox while hunting or trapping. I believe a warning here is in order as we people are in a risk group. Your dog and cat can be infected if they nose in the fox scat. If you or your kids get your hand on dog **** and get it in your food you can get the eggs into your system.
I think people should know about the risks and then its up for everyone to do what they consider right. The same applies for smoking. Some do it some not, some get old and some get cancer. Its up to individual to deal with the facts.

Cheers
Abbe

 

[Marts]

well done spreading fear and panic

but has anyone heard of a case in the UK ?

Tant

http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/zoonoses/hydatid/gen_info.htm

And from the House of Commons

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199495/cmhansrd/1994-12-07/Writtens-1.html

[ Excerpt
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for each of the years 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993, how many people in the United Kingdom (a) became infected with the tapeworm echinococcus granulosus and (b) died from infection with the tapeworm echinococcus granulosus caught in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Sackville: The number of laboratory reports of human echinococcus infection received by the Public Health Laboratory Service communicable disease surveillance centre in 1990 93 are shown in the table. Place of acquisition of the infection is not reported.


|1990 |1991 |1992 |<1>1993

----------------------------------------------------------

England and Wales |14 |5 |16 |13

Northern Ireland |0 |0 |0 |0

Scotland |0 |0 |0 |1

United Kingdom |14 |5 |16 |14

<1> Data for 1993 are provisional. ]

 

[Tantalus]

i do note this line

Place of acquisition of the infection is not reported.

as for why it should stop at the english border, i suspect the english channel might help

it also seems that there are various different forms of this worm , one native to Ireland that infects horses but not, as far as is known , man

surely if it were found on these islands, there would be more than a dozen cases a year

and lastly , as i said before if anyone read, wash carefully and cook

Tant