Identification of environmental risk factors for the presence of Echinococcus multilocularis

International audienceThe tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis is dependent upon foxes and microtine rodents to complete its life cycle and is a parasite of public health importance causing the fatal zoonotic disease alveolar echinococcosis (AE). Concerns that AE could be in emergence in Europe have arisen from recent studies. In France, a monitoring survey led to the collection of 2813 georeferenced faecal samples of which 82 have been diagnosed positive for the presence of the parasite. A geographically weighted logistic regression was used to assess potential spatial variation in the effect of putative environmental risk variables. Landscape and climatic variables were expected to play a role in epidemiological factors. The results showed no significant spatial heterogeneity. This suggests a constant prevalence across the study area. The parasite is now identified in regions where it was formerly unknown, outside of traditional endemic areas