Parasitological investigations undertaken on St. Lawrence Island (North East Cape) during part of the summer of 1954 revealed a high incidence of alveolar echinococcosis. Of 198 field mice (Microtus oeconomous and Clethrionomys rutilus) examined, 33 harbored the Echinococcus parasite. Such infections, usually confined to the liver, ranged in appearance from a focus that was barely perceptible to an infection that almost completely filled the abdominal cavity. Two of 12 ground squirrels (Citellus undulatus) were infected with Echinococcus. In one of these animals, a massive infection had destroyed three-fourths of the right lobe of the liver. Of four shrews (Sorex jacksoni) examined, one was heavily infected with Echinococcus. The appearance of the cystic formations in this animal was similar to that observed in field mice.
Notes
Cited in: Fortuine, Robert. 1968. The Health of the Eskimos: a bibliography 1857-1967. Dartmouth College Libraries. Citation number 934.