Abstract
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC? Echinococcosis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by the larval stage of cestode species belonging to the genus Echinococcus, which is highly prevalent in northwestern China. Echinococcus spp. includes numerous species/genotypes that have different infectivity and parasitism patterns in livestock hosts, potentially affecting the transmission dynamics of the parasite. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT? In four PLADs of China, the prevalence of Echinococcus was 16.5% in yaks and 9.41% in sheep. The predominant species/genotype was E. granulosus s.s. (G1/G3), which mainly infected sheep liver and yak lung. However, fertile cysts were more frequent in sheep than in yaks. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE? Understanding the livestock infection rate, prevalent species/genotypes, and cyst fertility is essential for elucidating the mechanisms of Echinococcus transmission and pathogenesis. This knowledge lays the foundation for developing accurate prevention and control strategies.