Data from Europe indicate that some dogs with hepatic
alveolar echinococcosis may also have patent intestinal infections,
and therefore may constitute a zoonotic threat. In light
of the size of the hepatic lesion in the case described here, if the
dog developed an intestinal infection, this most likely occurred
within the first 2 to 6 mo of its life. As a result, 13 humans that
came in contact with this dog at 2 to 6 mo of age were tested for
antibody to E. multilocularis using 3 different screening enzymelinked
immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) [EgHF-ELISA, Em2-
ELISA, and Em18-ELISA (8)]. Every serum sample was then
additionally tested with an E. multilocularis-specific Western
blot (9). On the basis of blood samples collected in September
2012, none of the in-contact people tested positive.