Surge in cases of deadly ‘fox parasite' that lingers in the body for 15 years destroying organs detected across Europe
Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE), or 'fox fever', is a nasty infection caused by the larvae stage of a tapeworm living in foxes, small rodents and even pet dogs and cats.
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Foxes carry the deadly parasite in their poop
Credit: Getty
People usually get infected by accidentally swallowing worm eggs found in fox poop which can contaminate water fruit and vegetables.
Other animals can carry the parasite in their poop after eating infected fox droppings, and from there, it can spread to humans.
The parasite then quietly develops into larvae inside the victim's liver, forming tumour-like growths that slowly destroy the organ - often without causing symptoms for years.
The eggs can sometimes spread to and start growing in other body parts, like the lungs and brain.
Symptoms only appear once the larvae's growths become large enough to trigger damage, which is why the disease is often caught so late.
At that stage, they can cause liver cancer–like signs such as weight loss, pain, tiredness, and liver failure.
If left untreated, this infection, which is considered one of the world's most dangerous diseases spread from animals to people, usually leads to death.
Treatment usually involves surgically removing the growths from the liver, followed by chemotherapy to kill any leftover infection.
But even those who do survive may need cancer treatment for the rest of their life to stop the infection from returning.
The new research, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases last month, revealed 4,207 cases across Europe in the last 25 years.
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But infectious disease experts suspect the real number is probably much higher because the disease is often missed or diagnosed too late.
For the research, they tracked reported infections from 1997 to 2023 and found evidence that cases are increasing across almost all affected countries.
The scientists have pinpointed two main hotspots, the Alpine region and the Baltic states, but AE is now emerging in almost every European country where it's ever been detected.
The highest number of cases were in Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland, which accounted for more than two-thirds of reported infections.
Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia also saw a big rise in cases.
The study reported a small but growing number of cases in the UK, all of which had originated from abroad.
Dr Adriano Casulli from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy, said: 'The incidence of this human parasitic disease is on the rise in Europe, especially in countries where this parasitic pathogen is 'historically' present.
"The incidence in Europe in the period 2021–2023 was 0.12 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, but we think this figure is underestimated.
"This has an impact on healthcare costs within Europe as those who are infected need lifelong treatment.
"We urge governments to increase surveillance of Echinoccus multilocularis in animals and humans in Europe."
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