A parasitic tapeworm that infects animals and can cause serious diseases in humans by forming cysts in organs.
From Greek echinos (hedgehog) + kokkos (berry/seed), named for the spiny appearance of the parasite under a microscope. The genus was formally described in the 19th century when parasitology became a scientific discipline.
This microscopic killer inspired some of the earliest public health campaigns because echinococcosis can form grape-like cysts in your liver or lungs—doctors realized that understanding parasites was key to saving lives.
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