Alveolar Hydatid Disease

The parasite Echinococcus multilocularis which causes alveolar hydatid disease is distinct in both larval form and host specificity from the more common E granulosus . Surgical treatment of E multilocularis infestation is usually impossible. The budding alveolar cysts infiltrate the liver diffusely rather than forming a solitary cyst as does E granulosus . A case report of infestation by E multilocularis accompanies a brief review of the ecology of the parasite.