Abstract

Human Echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by larval forms (metacestodes) of tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. Among the different genotypes of Echinococcus described, nine of them – 5 species within E. granulosus sensu lato cluster, E. multilocularis,
E. oligarthra, E. vogeli and E. shiquicus – are formally recognized as taxonomically relevant.
Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato is responsible for the disease Cystic Echinococcosis, which is endemic in several regions of the world, on the five continents, with a high incidence in the Mediterranean basin including countries in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East; in Asia with a high incidence in China; and the Americas, particularly in South America.
The global distribution of this disease involves many experts of all areas of echinococcoses and from different countries, who speak different languages, so it is necessary to use a single terminology so that everyone may understand each other.
Although all of us know the vital cycle of the parasite and the different aspects of the disease, the designations regarding the parasite, its evolution and some therapeutic procedures were not uniform. The World Association of Echinococcosis launched a Formal Consensus process under the coordination of Dominique A. Vuitton, which resulted in the admirable work recently published in the international Journal “Parasite”2.
In this article I come to remind and reinforce the idea of respecting terminology, so that we can communicate better among scientists and physicians of different disciplines. I return to this topic because it seems important to me, as a past president of the World Association of Echinococcosis (WAE), that it would be present in the first issue of the International Journal of Echinococcoses, created by the current president of the WAE, Nazmiye Altintas. I will focus on Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, cystic echinococcosis, the disease due to that species, “cyst” definition, and a few therapeutic aspects.

Key words: Hydatid; hydatid cyst; cystic echinococcosis; cystectomy; AORC.