Echinococcus in Australia:: The role of wildlife in transmission, with particular reference to South Eastern Australia

Echinococcus granulosus, the only species of the genus Echinococcus to occur in Australia, was introduced with domestic livestock during European settlement. The parasite established easily in the naive native wildlife assisted by the agricultural practices of this time. The distribution of the parasite is influenced by rainfall, and transmission is maintained by a prey/ predator relationship mainly between dingoes and macropodid marsupials. Dingoes in national parks are commonly infected with E. granulosus with burdens upto several hundred thousand tapeworms. Eggs passed by E. granulosus infected dingoes are also infective for domestic livestock and humans. There is increasing use of national parks in south eastern Australia for recreational activities. Therefore the potential public health implications of dingoes infected with E. granulosus living in these parks should be addressed.