EXCLUSIVE Urgent warning to dog owners over common mistake after woman contracts horrifying parasite
The woman, 20 weeks pregnant, had suffered months of stomach pain before doctors discovered a cyst twice the size of a tennis balls lodged in her pelvis.
Emergency surgery saved her and the baby before it burst and released its toxic contents.
Tests revealed it was a hydatid cyst — a rare, potentially deadly growth caused by a tapeworm found in infected dog feces or saliva.
While rare in the US, the parasite can be transmitted when people ingest eggs from contaminated surfaces or dog licks.
Dr Aimee Warner, resident veterinarian at pet insurance company Waggel, has issued a warning to pet owners on the back of the case.
She told DailyMail.com: 'Ideally, dogs should not lick faces, especially around the mouth or eyes, as a matter of health.'
The anonymous patient's case was detailed in the Open Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports.
Doctors wrote the woman was from a rural area in Tunisia, a 'breeding country' that remains one of the most infested by the tapeworm known as Echinococcus granulosus.
While the parasite is typically found in the feces of dogs, the doctors did not specify how the Tunisian woman came to be infected.
Dr Warner said the parasite isn't prevalent in pet dogs in most urban or suburban environments, but is seen in areas where livestock is raised and where dogs may consume the organs of infected animals infested with the larvae of Echinococcus granulosus.
After ingestion, the parasite grows into a mature tapeworm within the dog's intestines and its eggs are eliminated in the animal's stool - where humans may be exposed.
Humans do not become infected with the adult tapeworm, but develop the condition after they ingest the eggs.
Dr Warner added: 'Humans are not infected by the adult tapeworms within the dog, but instead ingest Echinococcus eggs passed in dog feces by accident.
'If a dog has fecal soiling on its mouth or coat and then licks someone, there is a potential — albeit rare — for transmission.'
Treatment in dogs consists of administering a dewormer - a type of medication formulated to kill the worm and rid the infected animal of the parasite.
In humans, hydatidosis is much more challenging to treat, Dr Warner told this website. It usually requires surgery to remove the cysts and a regimen of antiparasitic medications.
To avoid contracting the parasite, Dr Warner said to maintain good personal hygiene, keep your dog from coming into contact with raw meat or livestock, avoid dogs at a higher risk of being exposed to Echinococcus granulosus and make sure your dog regularly gets a dewormer.
She added: 'Good pet ownership can be the difference in preventing risks.'
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