When does one need surgery? | Fox tapeworm

When does one need surgery?

An operation is always the method of choice. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the higher the chance that it has not yet spread too far and that the infected areas can be surgically removed. If the disease is diagnosed late, it has usually already metastasized, so that surgical therapy can no longer lead to a cure. Then surgery is only indicated if a certain focus causes severe symptoms and should therefore be removed.

Healing time

As described above, many patients cannot be cured because the disease is already too advanced at the time of diagnosis. The duration of treatment varies from case to case and depends on how far the fox tapeworm has already spread. It is therefore not possible to make a general statement about the duration of healing.

Which doctor will treat this?

Theoretically, a cure for alveolar echinococcosis is possible. However, only in the early stages and with the help of a complete surgical removal of all possible pathogens. In advanced stages of the disease, complete killing of the fox tapeworm is usually no longer possible.

Can you kill a fox tapeworm by freezing it?

The fox tapeworm is very resistant. It cannot be killed by disinfectants, for example. To kill the infectious eggs, temperatures of – 80 °C for a few days or over 60 °C for a few minutes (heating) are suitable.

How long is the incubation period of the fox tapeworm?

The incubation period is given as 5-15 years. This has to do with the fact that they multiply the pathogens very slowly at the beginning and it takes relatively long until they cause symptoms. Often a large part of the liver has already been infiltrated by the parasites and metastasis has occurred. However, it is possible to detect the disease through blood tests even before symptoms appear (i.e. before the incubation period has expired). Presumably, antibodies in the blood are already detectable a few months after infection, indicating an infection.