Description

Hydatid disease is a parasitic infestation by a tapeworm of the genus Echinococcus. It is not endemic in the United States, but the change in the immigration patterns and the marked increase in transcontinental transportation over the past 4 decades have caused a rise in the profile of this previously unusual disease throughout North America. This has led to the necessity for physicians to be more aware of its clinical features, diagnosis, and management. Patient education is aimed at teaching the population at risk about the disease, its methods of transmission, its hosts, and the methods of prevention.