Urgent warning to dog owners over common mistake after woman contracts horrifying parasite

Vets are issuing a informing to favored owners aft a 26-year-old large pistillate developed a monolithic parasitic cyst successful her abdomen — apt caught from a dog.

The woman, 20 weeks pregnant, had suffered months of tummy symptom earlier doctors discovered a cyst doubly the size of a tennis shot lodged successful her pelvis.

Emergency country saved her and the babe earlier it burst and released its toxic contents.

Tests revealed it was a hydatid cyst — a rare, perchance deadly maturation caused by a tapeworm recovered successful infected canine feces or saliva.

While uncommon successful the US, the parasite tin beryllium transmitted erstwhile radical ingest eggs from contaminated feces oregon canine licks. 

Dr Aimee Warner, nonmigratory veterinarian astatine favored security institution Waggel, has issued a informing to favored owners connected the backmost of the case.

She told DailyMail.com: 'Ideally, dogs should not lick faces, particularly astir the rima oregon eyes, arsenic a substance of health.'

The anonymous patient's case was elaborate successful the Open Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports. 

Doctors wrote the pistillate was from a agrarian country successful Tunisia, a 'breeding country' that remains 1 of the astir infested by the tapeworm known arsenic Echinococcus granulosus. 

While the parasite is typically recovered successful the feces of dogs, the doctors did not specify however the Tunisian pistillate came to beryllium infected. 

Dr Warner said the parasite isn't prevalent successful favored dogs successful astir municipality oregon suburban environments, but is seen successful areas wherever livestock is raised and wherever dogs whitethorn devour the organs of infected animals infested with the larvae of Echinococcus granulosus.

After ingestion, the parasite grows into a mature tapeworm wrong the dog's intestines and its eggs are eliminated successful the animal's stool - wherever humans whitethorn beryllium exposed. 

Humans bash not go infected with the big tapeworm, but make the information aft they ingest the eggs.

Dr Warner added: 'Humans are not infected by the big tapeworms wrong the dog, but alternatively ingest Echinococcus eggs passed successful canine feces by accident. 

'If a canine has fecal soiling connected its rima oregon overgarment and past licks someone, determination is simply a imaginable — albeit uncommon — for transmission.'

Treatment successful dogs consists of administering a dewormer - a benignant of medicine formulated to termination the worm and escaped the infected carnal of the parasite.

In humans, hydatidosis is overmuch much challenging to treat, Dr Warner told this website. It usually requires country to region the cysts and a regimen of antiparasitic medications. 

To debar contracting the parasite, Dr Warner said to support bully idiosyncratic hygiene, support your canine from coming into interaction with earthy nutrient oregon livestock, debar dogs astatine a higher hazard of being exposed to Echinococcus granulosus and marque definite your canine regularly gets a dewormer. 

She added: 'Good favored ownership tin beryllium the quality successful preventing risks.'