Cystic echinococcosis is included in the list of 20 neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization and by Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Cystic echinococcosis occurs between canids and ungulates in a fecal–oral route of transmission, with humans serving as an aberrant intermediate host. Growth of the cyst is relatively slow and in a large number of humans, cystic echinococcosis was diagnosed many years after the event of infection, which also limits the possibility of using source attribution as a method of detecting the current or recent place of parasite transmission. This study aimed to gather data on cystic echinococcosis in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in human and sheep population, as well as to establish a correlation on number of sheep and measured incidence of human cystic echinococcosis in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina using the analytical-descriptive epidemiological method for the 5-year period (2016–2020). Materials used in the present article are official data on registered infectious human diseases in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, data on number of sheep collected from government competent authorities and estimation on number of dogs collected from non-government and volunteer organizations, since official data are not available. Statistical methodology used in the present study includes chi-square test, correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. In the period 2016–2020, cystic echinococcosis was registered in 44 people. There is no statistically significant difference in the number of patients per year. Among patients with cystic echinococcosis, there were significantly more (p = .035) men than women. There is a statistically significant difference (p = .006) in morbidity between age groups. There is strong correlation between number of sheep and incidence of human cystic echinococcosis. Cystic echinococcosis is a neglected disease in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to insufficient reporting, the number of registered cases is presumably lower than the actual number of patients. The control of cystic echinococcosis requires the cooperation of veterinary and human medical professionals and the implementation of measures aimed simultaneously at animals and humans.
Cite this article as: Obradovic, Z., Katica, M., Muftic, A., Konjo, H., Smajovic, A., & Sljivo, E. (2023). Retrospective study of cystic echinococcosis (2016–2020) in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 49(1), 36-43.