Field evaluation of an intravital diagnostic test of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in red foxes

Echinococcus multilocularis parasitizes the small intestine of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and other carnivores, and has a wide distribution throughout the northern hemisphere. This cestode is the causative agent of human alveolar echinococcosis, a life-threatening helminth zoonosis. In 2000-2002, 2130 red foxes were examined for its presence in Slovakia, with a total prevalence of 30.7%. The data on occurrence were obtained by the combination of necropsy of small intestines from red foxes and coproantigen detection in faecal samples. The correlation between the number of detected specimens and the value of optical density of copro-ELISA test was found. When worm burdens were low (1-25 specimens) the sensitivity of the method was 31.3+/-8.64%, when worm burdens were >50 specimens, 81.8+/-0.66%, and with high worm burdens (>1000 specimens) the sensitivity reached 100+/-0.34%. E. multilocularis presence was detected using the nested PCR method from the eggs in the faecal samples with a 100% specificity. In epidemiological surveys of this zoonosis, it is of crucial importance to detect animals with a high level of infection, which are responsible for the bulk of environmental contamination. The advantage of copro-ELISA test lies in allowing the intravital diagnostics to be employed within the epidemiological survey of E. multilocularis occurrence in the protected and urban areas.