

@article {2986,
	title = {An epidemiological and ecological study of human alveolar echinococcosis transmission in south {Gansu}, {China}},
	journal = {Acta Tropica},
	volume = {77},
	number = {2},
	year = {2000},
	month = {nov},
	pages = {167{\textendash}177},
	abstract = {Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is usually a rare, highly pathogenic zoonotic disease, transmitted across the northern hemisphere between fox and rodent hosts. In China the first cases were described in 1965; however very few epidemiological studies have been undertaken since. Following identification in 1991 of a serious focus of human AE in south Gansu province, detailed village-based community and ecological studies were carried out between 1994 and 1997. Hepatic ultrasound mass screening with serological testing (five tests) identified 84/2482 new AE cases (3\%). An overall prevalence of 4.1\% (135/3331) was recorded for the area when previous cases were also included. Based on a seropositive result only, without an ultrasound scan indication, no additional AE cases were identified. Of the evolutive AE cases, 96\% were seropositive in at least one test, while up 15-20\% of individuals who exhibited hepatic calcified lesions and 12-15\% exhibiting hepatic nodular lesions were seropositive for specific Em2 or Em18 antibodies. Village (n=31) human AE prevalence rates varied from 0 to 15.8\%. Questionnaire analysis indicated that total number of dogs owned over a period was a risk factor (P{\textbackslash}textless0.006), but not a history of red fox hunting (P{\textbackslash}textgreater0.6). Rodent ecology studies revealed an association between density indices of voles (Microtus limnophilus) and village AE prevalence rates, on the one hand, and village landscape characterised by a ratio of scrub/grassland to total area above 50\% (P{\textbackslash}textless0.005). Long-term transmission of Echinococcus multilocularis and risk of zoonotic infection of south Gansu farmers may be related ultimately to a process of deforestation driven by agriculture. This in turn probably results in creation of optimal peri-domestic habitats for rodents that serve as intermediate host species (such as M. limnophilus) and subsequent development of a peri-domestic cycle involving dogs.},
	keywords = {Adult, Animals, Antibodies, China, Dog Diseases, Dogs, Echinococcosis, Echinococcus, Ecology, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Foxes, Helminth, Hepatic, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Occupational Diseases, Risk Factors, Rodentia, Serologic Tests, Surveys and Questionnaires},
	issn = {0001-706X},
	author = {Craig, P. S. and Giraudoux, P. and Shi, D. and Bartholomot, B. and Barnish, G. and Delattre, P. and Quere, J. P. and Harraga, S. and Bao, G. and Wang, Y. and Lu, F. and Ito, A. and Vuitton, D. A.}
}
