The first report in Turkey of in vivo cultivation in Rattus norvegicus of Echinococcus multilocularis human strain.

The adult form of the small cestode Echinococcus multilocularis is found in carnivorous animals, especially in the fox. This cestode, which is found in the northern hemisphere in the world, is the cause of a generally fatal disease in humans, known as alveolar echinococcosis (AE). The metacestodes of Echinococcus multilocularis can be experimentally developed in the Meriones unguiculatus species of rodents, and it is possible to use these metacestodes for numerous purposes, primarily for supplying the antigens required for serological diagnosis of the disease. It is with this aim that in this study for the first time in Turkey, Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes were developed using different kind of rodent, Rattus norvegicus, and an indigenous strain was isolated using the surgical material of a patient diagnosed with alveolar echinococcosis.