A pregnant woman in Tunisia, Africa, contracted a parasitic cyst that is usually spread through dog saliva or feces, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported Monday.
The 26-year-old anonymous woman complained to doctors of severe pelvic pain and abdominal swelling, according to a case study published on May 10, 2024, in the Open Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports.
Doctors discovered she had a “huge cyst” (13 × 11 cm) near her uterus, which was pushing against the growth, posing the risk of rupturing its toxic contents.
Surgeons removed it, and the woman, who was 20 weeks into her pregnancy, would later give birth without further complication, according to the study.
Doctors determined the growth was a hydatid cyst, which is caused by a tapeworm often found in dogs.
The study did not specify how the woman contracted the disease.
Tunisia, however, is a known breeding ground for Echinococcus granulosus, the larval infection often found in dog feces that spawns the Hydatidos disease, according to the study.
3/#Echinococcus granulosus
Dogs ingest organs of infected animals —> hydatid cyst develop into adult tapeworms —> eggs in feces —> contamination of ground —> ingestion of eggs by sheep, cattle, goats, pigs —> eggs hatch and develop into hydatid cystshttps://t.co/2Q7IpmMJD1 pic.twitter.com/wPTX9tIs91
— Mayo Clinic Infectious Diseases (@MayoClinicINFD) February 13, 2020
Would you let a dog lick your face?
Echinococcus granulosus is rarely reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But it occurs around the world, usually in rural areas, where dogs might ingest the organs of dead infected livestock.
Following the Tunisia case, Dr. Aimee Warner — a veterinarian at the pet insurance company Waggel — issued a warning to dog owners.
“Ideally, dogs should not lick faces, especially around the mouth or eyes, as a matter of health,” Warner told the Daily Mail.
Warner further explained how humans might contract the disease through dog saliva.
“Humans are not infected by the adult tapeworms within the dog, but instead ingest Echinococcus eggs passed in dog feces by accident,” she told the Mail.
“If a dog has fecal soiling on its mouth or coat and then licks someone, there is a potential — albeit rare — for transmission,” she said.
While treating affected dogs usually involves administering a dewormer, human treatment is more complicated, Warner said, usually requiring surgery and anti-parasitic medication.
“Good pet ownership can be the difference in preventing risks,” Warner said, suggesting owners keep their dogs away from raw meat and livestock, and have them regularly dewormed.
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