The first step towards figuring out the cause of echinococcosis occurred during the 17th century when Francesco Redi illustrated that the hydatid cysts of echinococcosis were of “animal” origin.
The ailing surgeon extracted a hydatid cyst from a child in 1940 - his last surgical intervention.
Hydatid disease caused by infection of various organs with larval stages of tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus