Echinococcosis Veterinary Advisory

Posted July 23, 2025. Past health advisories and alerts are archived for historical purposes and are not maintained or updated.

July 18, 2025

Current Situation

A dog in the Spokane area was recently diagnosed with echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus multilocularis. 

What is Echinococcosis?

Echinococcosis is a serious zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus tapeworms. While human infections are rare, they can lead to life-threatening cysts in the liver, lungs, or other organs. There are multiple species of Echinococcus that can cause infection in humans and pets, and they are maintained in a lifecycle between definitive and intermediate hosts. Definitive hosts become infected after ingesting cysts in the tissues of infected animals and then shed infectious eggs in their feces, while intermediate hosts become infected via ingestion of eggs shed by a definitive host, leading to development of cystic lesions in various organs. Echinococcus granulosus (cystic echinococcosis) and Echinococcus multilocularis (alveolar echinococcosis) have different host species, and while Dogs are considered definitive hosts for E. multilocularis and E. granulosus and generally develop an asymptomatic intestinal infection, however, there have been recent reports of dogs developing severe or fatal alveolar echinococcosis from E. multilocularis. 

Risks to Pets and People

Dogs and cats can become infected by consuming raw organs or meat from wildlife or livestock, or potentially via ingestion of eggs from the environment shed by wild canids (coyotes, foxes, etc.) or other dogs. Infected dogs can shed eggs that contaminate the environment and pose a risk to humans.  Although the overall risk of human infection with Echinococcus spp. is low, dogs and cats infected with these tapeworms may shed eggs in their feces, creating a zoonotic risk for both veterinary staff and pet owners. Human exposure may occur through accidental ingestion of tapeworm eggs from contaminated hands, food, water, or surfaces.  

Protective Actions

To reduce infection risk in pets, owners should prevent pets from roaming unsupervised or scavenging or hunting wildlife. To prevent E. granulosus, dogs should not be fed any raw meat or organs from livestock. Pick up and dispose of dog feces promptly and consider monthly deworming. 

Preventing Transmission to Humans

Veterinary staff should wear gloves when handling infected animals or their feces and should practice good hand hygiene. If there is concern for accidental ingestion of fecal material, veterinary staff should contact their healthcare provider to discuss whether prophylactic treatment is indicated. Pet owners should be made aware of the zoonotic risk so they can take precautions to avoid accidental ingestion of fecal material including wearing gloves when cleaning up feces, washing hands after handling their pet, and restricting the pet’s access to areas used for gardening. If Spokane Regional Health District is notified of a canine case, outreach will be conducted to exposed persons to provide information on the risk and additional steps to prevent infection. 

Veterinary Guidance

Discuss parasite prevention with pet owners and consider preventives that include coverage for tapeworms. Microscopic evaluation of feces cannot distinguish between Taenia and Echinococcus eggs; additional testing can be requested to identify tapeworm eggs identified on a fecal specimen. Contact a reference laboratory or parasitologist to discuss appropriate testing if clinical echinococcosis is suspected in a pet. Report cases to the Washington State Department of Agriculture here.

Resources for Veterinarians

• About Echinococcosis
• Companion Animal Parasite Council Guidelines Echinococcus spp
• Washington StateDepartment of Agriculture Animal Health Pets
  ahealth@agr.wa.gov or 360.902.1878
• Spokane Regional Health District: 509.324.1449 (24/7 Report Line)