Echinococcus multilocularis in north Italy

Alveolar echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the metacestode of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. Fox populations living in the Alpine regions of Italy had been considered free from this parasite until 2002, when two infected foxes were detected in Bolzano province (Trentino Alto Adige region) near Austrian border. A modified nested PCR analysis was used to detect E. multilocularis DNA in faecal samples belonging to red fox populations from five Italian regions. A total of 522 faecal samples were analysed from foxes shot in Valle d'Aosta (N = 65), Liguria (N = 44), Lombardy (N = 105), Veneto (N = 67), and Trentino Alto Adige (N = 241) regions. Among these, 24 samples, all from the Trentino Alto Adige region, were found positive. Moreoever, 1406 faecal samples of red foxes were analyzed by CA-ELISAs commercial test kit. This paper provides an update of the epidemiological knowledge of this parasite in north Italy.