E. multilocularis infection in animals

Résumé fourni par la source

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a parasitic disease caused by infection with the larvae of Echinococcus multilocularis (EM), a tapeworm found in definitive hosts such as foxes, jackals and dogs.Small rodents are intermediate hosts for EM.Although cases of AE in animals in endemic areas are relatively common, human cases are rare.In recent years, the presence of the parasite EM has been reported in areas of Europe in which it had previously not been recognised.At the same time, increases in the prevalence of EM in foxes have been observed in several European countries.In addition, urban fox populations have become established in many central European cities, reaching high population densities and sometimes with a high prevalence of EM infections, increasing the risk of transmission to humans.At present, documentation supporting the absence of the parasite has been submitted by four EU Member States.Regulation (EU) No 1152/2011 stipulates that a pre-movement anti-parasite treatment must be applied to dogs entering these countries and that a pathogen-specific surveillance programme, adhering to certain requirements regarding sampling and detection techniques, must be operated by these countries.The Commission must review this regulation no later than December 2016 in the light of scientific developments regarding EM infection in animals.EFSA will be asked to provide a scientific opinion on EM infections in animals by November 2015.To assist with this review, EFSA funded the project "Echinococcus multilocularis infection in animals".In order to be able to provide a comprehensive and quantitative assessment of EM infections in animals, the current knowledge and data on the epidemiology and risk factors related to this disease were collected in the EU and adjacent countries; the information and data, on the aspects listed above, were gathered by means of eight systematic reviews of literature and data.© Echinococcus multilocularis infection in animals (EMIA) Consortium, 2015 KEY WORDS Echinococcus multilocularis, systematic review, risk factors, deworming drugs, epidemiology, diagnosis, control.The present document has been produced and adopted by the bodies identified above as author(s).This task has been carried out exclusively by the author(s) in the context of a contract between the European Food Safety Authority and the author(s), awarded following a tender procedure.The present document is published complying with the transparency principle to which the Authority is subject.It may not be considered as an output adopted by the Authority.The European Food Safety Authority reserves its rights, view and position as regards the issues addressed and the conclusions reached in the present document, without prejudice to the rights of the authors.

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