Alveolar Echinococcosis Infection in a Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) in Mashhad, Iran

Alveolar echinococcosis (ae), which is caused by ingestion of eggs of the fox tapeworm echinococcus mul- tilocularis, is the most potentially lethal parasitic infection because of its tendency to invade and proliferate in the liver and the difficulty in treatment. this article describes a case of alveolar echinococcosis found in ateles geoffroyi in mashhad, iran. the cysts were characterized as an alveolar structure, composed of nu- merous small vesicles in liver, abdominal cavity, retroperitoneum and lungs. a characteristic feature of these vesicles was its exogenous tumor-like proliferation. these cysts were filled with numerous protoscoleces suggesting a potential role of this monkey in cycle of transmission. up to now, this is probably the first re- port of alveolar echinococcosis in a. geoffroyi in the world.