The molecular epidemiology of Echinococcus granulosus and cystic hydatid disease.

It is now generally recognized that the dog tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, the cause of cystic hydatid disease, exhibits substantial genetic diversity. This variability has important implications for the design and development of vaccines, diagnostic reagents and drugs effective against this parasite. The paper describes various deoxyribonucleic acid-based approaches that have been used for accurate identification of these genetic variants and their application in molecular epidemiological surveys of cystic hydatid disease in different geographical settings.