Question

A 19-year-old female from Northern Manitoba, with no travel history outside of
Canada and a significant history of hunting wild animals and exposure to wild
canines, recently presented to a local hospital for right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain.
She was later transferred to a tertiary care facility after a liver resection procedure
for RUQ pain, elevated liver enzymes and white blood cell count, and a few peaks
in her absolute eosinophil count; she also had pleural effusion. A 5 cm liver cyst
was seen on an ultrasound scan (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cyst
fluid was sent to the provincial public health laboratory for analysis. Figures A–
C show what was observed on a wet prep with iodine made from the fluid.
Figure D is from a smear of the fluid stained with Giemsa; Figure E stained with
iron-hematoxylin.

Based on the case study, fill in the following worksheet. ( 13 + 2 marks)
Property /Feature Answer
Pathogen’s scientific name:
Pathogen’s common name
Classification:
Is it a Zoonosis?
Definitive host(s):
Intermediate host(s):
Direct or indirect life cycle
Diagnostic stage:
Infectious stage:
Location inside host:
Pathogenicity:
Adult appearance:
Any other test to support
diagnosis
Reason for your diagnosis

Answer 1

• The women is suffering from the Hydatid disease,whichis a fatal condition caused by dog tape worms that cuses the formation of hydatid cysts in the liver and brain.
• The scientific name of the pathogen is Echinococcus granulosus.
• The common name is Dog tapeworm.
• Yes It is a zoonotic disease that is transmitted from dogs to the humans.
• The defenitive hosts are dogs.
• The intermediate hosts are cattle,sheep etc..
• They have indirect life-cycles involving encystment of larvae in the tissues of intermediate hosts
• The diagnostic stage is the cystic stage