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Hydatid Disease Essay

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We read with great interest a case report by Tosya et al. on isolated hydatidosis involving the ascending aorta [1]. Cystic hydatid disease still represents a neglected disease despite being highly endemic in a myriad of livestock-raising regions worldwide, and this case presentation makes evident how diverse the localization and clinical manifestations of this infection can be. With this comment, our aim is to extend the discussion by highlighting several important issues. The described patient initially presented with recurrent arterial embolic events, which is an unusual manifestation of this disease. The hydatid embolism usually stems from spontaneous or traumatic rupture of the hydatid cyst, with only a several case reports describing such events in the literature [2]. Still, histopathologic evaluation of the embolus can be pursed, which in some instances may reveal …show more content…

Although the diagnosis is usually performed with serologic tests, the authors rightly state that up to 50% of infected individuals may present with negative serology. This fact is important to accentuate, as large numbers of clinicians still seek serologic confirmation of their working diagnosis. Albeit significant efforts have been made to improve this percentage using synthetic peptides, recombinant proteins and combinations of defined antigens, it must be noted that only 60%-80% of infected individuals become seropositive [3]. Furthermore, 10%-15% of serological examinations return negative results due to the wall thickness of the individual hydatid cysts. By contrast, false-positive serological findings can also be found in 10%-15% of patients, primarily as a result of cross-reacting with other parasitic infections, but also in non-active disease stages, patients with malignancy or during pregnancy

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