Epidemiology of hydatid disease in the Mediterranean basin with special reference to Italy.

Hydatidosis, caused by dog tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus, is one of the most important cestode infections in man. Of the four species of the genus Echinococcus, only Echinococcus granulosus is widespread in the Mediterranean basin which is still, unfortunately, a major endemic focus. This article critically reviews its diffusion in humans and sheep over the past twenty years. Although most of the available data are scarce, fragmentary, and not homogeneous, they represent the only possibility at present of evaluating the parasitic pressure.