hydatid cyst of the liver

Hepatic hydatid cysts are more common in pastoral areas, associated with sheep herding in South America, Southern Europe, and Australia, with camels in Iran and Iraq, and possibly with reindeer in Canada and Alaska. They are relatively common in Inner Mongolia, Northwest China, Western Sichuan, and Tibet. This disease, also known as hepatic echinococcosis, is caused by the invasion of the liver by the larvae of Echinococcus granulosus.