Molecular diagnosis of hepatic hydatid cyst.

Hydatidosis is a zoonosis caused by a larval stage of the cestode Echinococcus. Humans are accidental intermediate hosts and can develop cysts mainly in the liver and lungs. In Ecuador, human infection has been described with indigenous cases since 1926, and cases have currently been reported in all geographic regions of the country. However, the actual prevalence of echinococcosis in humans is not known in Ecuador, and there are no validated diagnostic methods with samples from the country. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that molecular tools can assist in diagnosing hydatidosis at the species level.