Abstract
Multicystic hydatids have been found in the livers of hares (Lepus oiostolus) examined from the Qinghai-Tibet plateau of China. In this study, the causative species was definitively identified as Echinococcus multilocularis by mitochondrial DNA sequencing. This is the first confirmation of larval E. multilocularis from hares. The hydatids contained protoscolices, suggesting that the hare may contribute to the transmission of E. multilocularis on the Tibetan plateau.
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References
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the U.S. National Institute of Health (1R01 TW01565-01; Principal Investigator, Philip S. Craig) and by a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan and the Japan Society of Promotion of Science to A. I. (1255702414, 14256001).
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Xiao, N., Li, TY., Qiu, JM. et al. The Tibetan hare Lepus oiostolus: a novel intermediate host for Echinococcus multilocularis . Parasitol Res 92, 352–353 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-003-1048-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-003-1048-6