Epidemiology and clinical implications of the genetic diversity of Echinococcus spp in Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa

囊状棘球蚴病（CE）是一种常见的和经济上重要的人畜共患病，对弱势牧民社区有特殊影响。因此，即使在高流行地区，CE也是一种被忽视的疾病。研究目的：（1）探讨棘球绦虫遗传多样性的流行病学和临床意义。在苏丹、肯尼亚、乌干达和南非，以及（2）开发用于流行病学的分子工具。CE是由一个高度多样化的物种复合体引起的，通常被归类为“细粒棘球绦虫”。在非洲，至少存在五种独立的基因型，具有高度不同的生物学特征，例如对人类的感染性。关于对公共卫生、畜牧业生产或控制的后果的数据很少。最近开发的方法将用于调查临床特征，公共卫生和经济影响，传播周期，宿主范围和基因型的地理发生。建立一个包括德国和非洲机构在内的培训/支持网络，将为非洲科学家提供分子、临床和流行病学专门知识，使他们能够独立研究CE和其他人畜共患病。该项目将为德国和非洲申请者之间已经发展的合作关系提供长期前景并加强这种关系。它还将成为研究合并感染对艾滋病毒/艾滋病、疟疾、结核病和被忽视的传染病后果的影响的基础。

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a frequent and economically important zoonosis with a specific impact on disadvantaged pastoralist communities. Therefore, CE is a neglected disease even in high endemicity regions. Research objective is (1) to characterize the epidemiological and clinical implications of the genetic diversity of Echinococcus spp. in Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, and (2) to develop molecular tools for application in epidemiology. CE is caused by a highly diverse complex of species, usually assigned to ‘Echinococcus granulosus’. In Africa at least five independent genotypes exist, with highly different biological characteristics, e.g. infectivity to humans. Little data exist on the consequences for public health, livestock production, or control. Recently developed methods will be used to investigate clinical features, public health and economic impact, transmission cycles, host ranges and geographical occurrence of the genotypes. The establishment of a training/support network including the German and African institutions will provide African scientists with molecular, clinical and epidemiological expertise that will enable them to independent studies of CE and other zoonotic diseases. The project will provide a long-term perspective for and enhancement of cooperative ties which have been developed between the German and African applicants. It will also form the basis for research on the impact of co-infections on the outcome of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and neglected infectious diseases.