Cestodes are important endoparasitic organisms, some of which are responsible for serious zoonotic diseases. The most severe diseases are inflicted by the larval stages (metacestodes) of Echinococcus multilocularis and E, granulosus sensu lato (s. I), which are the causative agents of alveolar (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE), respectively. Another member of the Taeniidae family, Taenia solium, has also a prominent role as the causative agent of cysticer-cosis, with a special importance for neurocysticercosis (NC). The adult-stages of these parasites colonialize the intestine of their definitive hosts, which are foxes and dogs for E, multilocularis, canines for E. granulosus and humans for T. solium. In the intestine of the definitive host, self-or cross-fertilization of adults leads to the production of eggs which contain a zygote, eventually forming a pre-larval stage (oncosphere), which is then accidentally ingested by an intermediate host. CE and AE have been historically considered as food- and water-borne infections, with more recent evidence also pointing to the importance of hand-to-mouth transmission, and they are ranked as the most important foodborne parasites worldwide (Tamarozzi et al. 2020; Torgerson et al. 2020). For Echinococcus spp. and T. solium, several mammalian species can be infected as intermediate hosts, including humans, which act as dead-end hosts for E. granulosus and E, multilocularis. Within their intermediate hosts, the parasite larvae are usually targeted to distinct compartments or organs, such as the liver in most cases for E. multilocularis infections or liver and lungs for E. granulosus.
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