LA PAZ, Bolivia, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Latin American scientists say a parasitic disease found in dogs that attacks vital organs can be transmitted to humans.
Echinococcosis is caused by echinococcus granulosus parasites and causes cysts to form in the liver, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
"The dog is the carrier. If the parasite is defecated and eaten by sheep, and if humans eat the sheep, they will get a cyst," Freddy Lizon, director of the research team of Bolivian and Uruguayan scientists, said Friday.
"The cysts appear in the liver and there are different levels of symptoms according to the cyst degree," Lizon said.
"They can cause digestive problems, bile colic and diarrhea. Mainly we found the disease in poor areas, so perhaps it could be connected with malnutrition," he said.
The research was carried out in the Potosi region of Bolivia.
