HYDATIDS – INTRODUCTION
Australia once led the world in the knowledge and treatment of the condition known as hydatid disease.
Hydatid cysts are common in countries with large sheep populations and so are found not only in Australia but also in the Middle East, in parts of Europe and in North America.
They were first recognised in Australia in 1850 and in the years between the world wars, Sir Harold Dew, professor of surgery at Sydney University, wrote the definitive textbook on this disease.
Echinococcus granulosis is a tapeworm of dogs. It is only 4 to 6 mm in length and consists of a head, or scolex, with three or four segments (proglottides).
Each segment has a complete set of both male and female reproductive organs. When the lowest segment is mature, it drops off and the eggs it contains are liberated and pass out with the faeces. A segment may contain up to 1000 eggs and is usually shed every 14 days.
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