Human cystic echinococcosis in two Mongolian communities in Hobukesar (China) and Bulgan (Mongolia)

In order to investigate the prevalence of human cystic echinococcosis (CE) in traditional Mongolian communities in western Mongolia and Xinjiang (northwest China), studies were carried out between 1995 and 2000, on two ethnically identical populations in Hobukesar (China) and Bulgan (Mongolia). The prevalence of human hepatic CE in the two communities was significantly different. In Hobukesar, human CE prevalence by ultrasound was 2.7% (49/1844), while in Bulgan it was 0.2% (4/1609) (P < 0.001). Dog surveys showed that coproantigen-positive rates or dog necropsy positives were similar in both communities (35.0% in Hobukesar and 35.7% in Bulgan). Comparing possible risk factors, there appeared to be some significant differences between the two communities, which might contribute to the observed difference in CE prevalence. These included: the proportion of herdsman or farmers recorded; the proportions of dog ownership and livestock ownership; and the proportion of families practising home slaughter. The presence of a Russian dog-dosing programme up to the mid-1980s may explain the lower prevalence of human CE in the Bulgan population; no similar programme operated in the China-administered Hobukesar community.