Echinococcus

Term: Echinococcus (genus)

Literally meaning: “spined granule ”

Origin: Anc Greek

'åχ[éνος/echinos(=spiny)

+κόκκος/kokkos(=round seed, granule)

Coined/History

The name derived because the  parasite forms granular and spined  bodies  into inner of hydatid cyst. The Italian Francesco Redi first described the worms in his book in 1864. It was not untill 1853 that Carl von Siebold demonstrated that Echinococcus  cysts from sheep gave rise to adult tapeworms when fed to dogs.

Sources

Redi, F. 1684. Osservazioni intorno agli animali viventi che si trovano negli animali viventi. Pietro Martini, Florence, Italy.).

von Siebold, C. T. 1853. Ueber die Verwandlung der Echinococcus-brut in Taenien. Z. Wissen. Zool. 4:409-425.

Definition

Echinococcus is   a genus of Phylum Platyhelminthes that includes six species of tapewarms. Echinococcus causes hydatid disease (echinococcosis).