Efisio Arru (Siligo, 1927 – Sassari, 2000) was an Italian veterinary parasitologist from Sardinia. He is best known for his research on cystic echinococcosis, a zoonotic disease that has historically been highly endemic in Sardinia.
Career Arru graduated from the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Sassari in 1957. In 1978 he was appointed Professor of Parasitology at the same institution, where he built a research programme focused on the epidemiology and control of Echinococcus granulosus in Sardinia and Italy more broadly.
Research Arru's principal research concerned hydatid disease (cystic echinococcosis) caused by Echinococcus granulosus, a tapeworm parasite transmitted between dogs and livestock. Sardinia has one of the highest prevalences of the disease in Europe, largely due to the island's extensive sheep-farming tradition.
Among his documented publications, Arru investigated the distribution of E. granulosus in dogs in Sardinia, and co-authored a comparative study of hydatidosis in Italy with particular regard to Sardinia and Sicily. His work provided a foundation for subsequent research on echinococcosis in Sardinia.
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