Background

Small ruminant production systems are a major component of the dairy and meat sector in the Mediterranean areas being frequently the only possible enterprises in less favoured areas, unsuitable for growing crops, playing a substantial role in the livelihood of farmers in developing countries. Furthermore, small ruminant farming systems represent one of the most important agricultural activity connected to the utilization of marginal lands, with prevalence of pastoral system, low level of mechanization, and production of typical products, mainly cheese. Ensuring the sustainability of small ruminant livestock farming systems in relation to global concerns about climate change, population dynamics and quality of agrosystem services provided to society, as well as their trade-off is fundamental. Parasites are ubiquitous in such systems and have been identified as the main constraint affecting small ruminants’ production, health and welfare. Grazing sheep are frequently exposed to multiple parasites and the early diagnosis of these infections is of pivotal importance to plan sustainable and low-impact control and treatment strategies. Among parasitic infections, cystic echinococcosis (CE) might be considered one of the most important zoonotic diseases of grazing sheep in the Mediterranean area, associated to serious economic and animal health repercussions. Cystic echinococcosis, caused by the larval stages of the small tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, is a zoonotic parasitic disease of veterinary and public health importance. The life cycle of E. granulosus includes dogs and other canids as the definitive hosts of the adult parasite and livestock (mainly sheep) and humans as intermediate hosts. CE has a worldwide distribution but exhibits the highest prevalence in communities where pastoral activities predominate, as the Mediterranean areas.

Climatic changes (e.g. global warming) may influence the epidemiology of CE, due to their direct effect on the survival and the viability or infectivity of eggs, released in the environment by the dog, and an indirect impact on sheep, through an increased exposure to the parasite. Therefore, sustainable control strategies are needed to mitigate the negative effects of increasing spread of CE in these areas. To date, control and prevention of this disease is very difficult due to the complex epidemiology of E. granulosus and to the lack of suitable diagnostic tools as well as of sustainable control strategies.