Serious infection spreading in Hungary: you could be a carrier without even knowing it!

Recently, there has been an increase in the incidence of a zoonosis (infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans), echinococcosis, which poses a very serious risk. According to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), 929 human cases were recorded in 2023, compared with 739 in 2022, 592 in 2021 and 574 in 2020.

the number of cases has been rising in hungary too:

there were 19 in 2023, 9 in 2022, 7 in 2021 and only 4 in 2020.

Echinococcosis is a disease caused by tapeworms, which are as much a threat to our pets as they are to us humans, says Kinga Kardics. The worms, or their eggs, are shed in the faeces of infected foxes and golden echinococcus and remain viable for up to a year.

If the eggs then get into the mouth or nose of sniffing dogs, or onto their feet or fur and are licked off, the pets can be infected by the eggs entering the animal's intestinal tract. Animals can also infect us by licking our hands and, let's say, we eat an apple without washing our hands.

Kinga Kardics pointed out that echinococcosis is a serious disease:

the infection can lead to the formation of cysts in the liver, spleen, lungs, brain or bones, in both humans and animals.

In humans, however, the infection can remain dormant for many years because the cysts rarely grow large enough to cause symptoms. The infection is therefore usually discovered by chance, for example during an imaging scan for a completely different reason. If symptoms develop, the severity depends on the size and location of the cysts (for example, if they are in the liver, they may cause abdominal pain and jaundice; if they are in the lungs, they may cause coughing and bloody sputum, among other things).

It is important to seek medical advice not only for anyone with these symptoms, but also for anyone whose dog has been confirmed to have died from echinococcosis.

Cysts with echinococcosis are removed surgically if possible or treated with medication. But prevention is also very important, with regular deworming of pets and good hygiene on the part of the owner, Kardics stressed.

Kardics added that because tapeworm eggs can be carried on animal faeces on low-growing fruit and vegetables, these should always be washed thoroughly, especially if foxes or golden jackals are likely to enter the garden.

The infectious disease expert also warned that the number of zoonoses is increasing, with more than 200 known animal-to-human (or human-to-animal) infectious diseases, but dogs and cats do not pose a zoonotic risk per se. The danger, like the tapeworm that causes echinococcosis, is the parasites that can infect our pets and, through them, us. So our regularly vaccinated, wormed and groomed pets rarely pose a real threat.

Only a few infectious diseases caused by dogs and cats are diagnosed every month in the clinic's infectology department,

added the specialist. Intestinal worm infections are the most common, but this can be caused by improperly treated meat or poor hygiene conditions, as well as pets that are not dewormed, Kinga Kardics pointed out.

Toxoplasmosis, which is spread through the faeces of infected cats, is also rarely seen in the clinic. More common, but still rare, is another feline infection, bartonellosis.

Contrary to its name, the zoonotic disease known as cat scratch fever, can be transmitted by bites too. Symptoms include inflammation of the skin at the site of the injury and fever, headache or swollen lymph nodes in the area, which can occur up to weeks after the scratch or bite.

It is always worth consulting a doctor, she added, because although the disease can be cured in most cases, persistent symptoms may require antibacterial treatment and, rarely, surgery.

As the infection is spread by cat fleas, biting and scratching by domestic cats that are regularly kept flea-free is not a risk, only neglected, stray cats and kittens that are highly infectious.

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