Sparganosis in the Indian Sub-continent and the Middle East.

Sparganosis is one of the common zoonotic diseases caused by infection with the larval plerocercoids (spargana) of the cestode genus Spirometra. While this parasite distributes globally in canine and feline hosts, human infection is predominantly reported in East Asia, especially China, Korea, Japan, and Thailand. Maybe related to the behavior and food culture, this zoonotic disease is rather rare in South Asia to the Middle East. In these areas, sporadic case reports have been appeared mostly in the local medical journals. To draw a solid picture of sparganosis in these non-endemic areas of Asia, we made an extensive literature survey to gather sparganosis cases in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.

Recent update on cerebral sparganosis: A bibliometric analysis and scientific mapping.

Human sparganosis, a parasitic infection prevalent in Asia, can progress to cerebral sparganosis, a severe condition with significant neurological symptoms. Diagnosis and treatment are challenging due to its clinical similarity to other infections, highlighting the need for improved detection and management strategies. The aim of this study was to observe research trends, key contributors, gaps in the existing knowledge, diagnosis challenges, effective treatment options, and prevention strategies, providing recommendations for future research directions and clinical practice improvements on cerebral sparganosis. A bibliometric analysis was conducted by extracting 139 documents from the Scopus database in June 2024. The retrieved data were analyzed using the R package's Bibliometrix (Biblioshiny) and VOSviewer. Spanning 97 different sources, the research exhibited an annual growth rate of 2.5%. Annual scientific production revealed fluctuating research activity with peaks in 2010 and 2011 and notable citation peaks in 1996 and 2005, indicating pivotal studies that significantly influenced subsequent research. Early studies focused on diagnosis and specific parasites, while recent studies (2010-2024) have increasingly addressed clinical outcomes, treatment strategies, and advanced diagnostic techniques. Trends revealed a shift towards clinical and diagnostic advancements, with recent emphasis on diagnostic imaging, immunoassays, and the relationship between cerebral sparganosis and brain tumors. In conclusion, the studies on cerebral sparganosis underscore the potential for enhancing clinical practice by improving diagnostic accuracy, informing treatment decisions, and implementing targeted screening efforts based on epidemiology and risk factors. Recommendation to further study needs to notify the cerebral sparganosis in high-risk countries with similar socioeconomic and cultural characteristics to endemic regions, including Indonesia.

Aberrant sparganosis in cat caused by Spirometra mansoni (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae): a case report.

BACKGROUND: Sparganosis is a rare zoonotic disease caused by plerocercoid larvae of the genera Spirometra or Sparganum (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae). The larvae of Spirometra generally do not undergo asexual reproduction, whereas those of Sparganum can induce proliferative lesions in infected tissues. This paper presents an unusual case of proliferative sparganosis due to infection with Spirometra mansoni in a cat, normally considered a definitive host of the species. CASE PRESENTATION: A 9-year-old male domestic cat was presented with a mass on the right side of the face that underwent progressive enlargement for 1 month. The morphological and histopathological examinations revealed multiple asexual proliferative cestode larvae in the lesions, suggestive of proliferative sparganosis. Next-generation sequencing analysis of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens of surgically excised tissue indicated that the worm was Spirometra mansoni. CONCLUSION: Although S. mansoni a common tapeworm species found in the small intestine of domestic cats and dogs in Japan, proliferative sparganosis is extremely rare. This is the first confirmed case of proliferative sparganosis due to infection with S. mansoni in cat.

Identification of a Clinical Spirometra mansoni Plerocercoid Isolate Using Molecular and Morphological Data.

Sparganosis has been a neglected parasitic zoonosis for a long time. The accurate identification of Spirometra tapeworms in clinical practice is poorly understood. A case of breast sparganosis was reported in Henan Province of central China. One plerocercoid approximately 3.5 cm in length was collected from the patient. The clinical isolate was identified as Spirometra mansoni based on the barcoding sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1). Finally, the epidemiology of sparganosis in central China was reviewed. Comprehensive public health education should be carried out, and the risky habit of eating live tadpoles must be discouraged in Henan Province.

Molecular identification of sparganum of Spirometra mansoni isolated from the abdominal cavity of a domestic cat in Vietnam.

Cats normally play a role of the definitive host in which the plerocercoid (sparganum), the second larval form of Spirometra spp., develops into an adult in the intestines. However, some cases of cats with visceral or subcutaneous sparganosis were sporadically reported worldwide. We herein documented the discovery of a sparganum in abdominal cavity of a domestic cat during a surgery of dystocia. The larva was molecularly identified as Spirometra mansoni, belonging to Type I, that was recently misidentified to be S. erinaceieuropaei in several Asian countries. This is the first report for sparganum of S. mansoni in the cat. The future study is necessary to provide further insights into the species of Spirometra causing sparganosis and spirometrosis in humans and other animals.

Cerebral sparganosis in a child with corpus callosum invasion: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Invasion of the corpus callosum by sparganosis is rare in children. After invading the corpus callosum, sparganosis has various migration modes, which can break through the ependyma and enter the ventricles, thus causing secondary migratory brain injury. CASE PRESENTATION: A girl aged 4 years and 7 months presented with left lower limb paralysis for more than 50 days. Blood examination showed that the proportion and absolute number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood were increased. Furthermore, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples revealed positivity for IgG and IgM antibodies for sparganosis. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed ring-like enhancements in the right frontoparietal cortex, subcortical white matter, and splenium of the corpus callosum. Within 2 months, a fourth follow-up MRI showed that the lesion had spread to the left parietal cortex, subcortical white matter, and deep white matter in the right occipital lobe and right ventricular choroid plexus, with left parietal leptomeningeal enhancement. CONCLUSION: Migratory movement is one of the characteristics of cerebral sparganosis. When sparganosis invades the corpus callosum, clinicians should be aware that it may then break through the ependyma and enter the lateral ventricles, leading to secondary migratory brain injury. Short-term follow-up MRI is necessary to evaluate the migration mode of sparganosis and dynamically guide treatment strategies.

The serum IgG antibody level as a biomarker for clinical outcome in patients with cerebral sparganosis after treatment.

Introduction: Cerebral sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection of the brain tissue. The remission of MRI change and clinical symptom has been used to evaluate the therapeutic effect. However, there is no study to correlate the serum IgG antibody level of sparganum to the prognosis of disease after treatment. Methods: 87 patients with cerebral sparganosis were collected from three medical centers. Clinical symptoms and MRI changes were evaluated at 12 months after initial treatment, and serum IgG antibody level of sparganum was evaluated at 2, 6, and 12 months after treatment. The positive cut-off value was based on 2.1 times the optical density (OD) of negative control. The index value was defined as the sample OD divided by the cut-off value. Results: Among the 87 patients after treatment, 71 patients had good clinical outcomes, and 16 had poor clinical outcomes. The area under the curve (AUC) showed that the index value measured at 12 months after treatment had the best prediction effect, with a value of 2.014. In the good-outcome group, the index values were less than 2.014 in all 71 patients, and only 8 patients had mildly enhanced residual lesions on MRI. In the poor-outcome group, the index values were more than 2.014 in all 16 patients, and all patients still showed significantly enhanced lesions on MRI. Compared with poor-outcome patients, only 2 patients with good outcomes had disease recurrence after treatment. Discussion: This study provided evidence that the serum IgG antibody level of sparganum was a promising biomarker to evaluate the prognosis of patients with cerebral sparganosis after treatment.

Spirometra mansoni sparganosis identified by metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a case report.

A 30-year-old male patient had a cyst on the left hip and progressive enlargement for more than 2 months. Combined blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging, and pathology findings, cysticercosis infection was suspected. However, the treatment for cysticercosis was ineffective. We conducted a metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) analysis on the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimen of the patient's surgically excised tissue, and the results suggested Spirometra mansoni, mNGS was further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and phylogenetic analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. Based on these results, we found that mNGS provided a better method of diagnosing parasitic infections.

Cerebral sparganosis masquerading brain neoplasm: A rare incidental case.

Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by plerocercoid larvae of the genera Spirometra. Cerebral sparganosis is one of its most serious complications wherein clinical and imaging findings may pose diagnostic challenge. Here we present a case of cerebral sparganosis which mimicked as brain tumour on clinicoradiological examination. The case is reported in view of its rarity in India and the need for awareness of the entity.

[Metagenomic sequencing for diagnosis of sparganosis mansoni: a case report].

The patient was found to develop a migrating mass in the lower abdomen without any known cause in 2000, and the cause had not been identified following multiple diagnoses since then. The mass was found to migrate to the left anterior axillary regions on August 11, 2020. Then, three segments of incomplete white worms were resected through minimally invasive surgery, and metagenomic sequencing revealed sparganosis mansoni. After surgical resection of complete worms was performed on October 21, 2021, the case was cured and discharged from the hospital. Follow-up revealed satisfactory outcomes and no new mass was found throughout the body.

Presence of Spirometra mansoni, Causative Agent of Sparganosis, in South America.

We report molecular identification of an adult Spirometra mansoni tapeworm retrieved from a crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) in Colombia, confirming presence of this parasite in South America. This tapeworm is the causative agent of human sparganosis, commonly reported from Southeast Asia, and represents the second congeneric species with known zoonotic potential in the Americas.

Surgical treatment of a patient with live intracranial sparganosis for 17 years.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of sparganosis, especially intracranial live sparganosis is very low in China. Due to the lack of typical clinical manifestations, it is difficult to make a clear preoperative diagnosis of the disease, which often leads to delays the disease and serious consequences. CASE PRESENTATION: A 23-year-old man presented with a 17-year history of intermittent seizures and right extremity numbness and weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed patchy, nodular and line-like enhancement. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detected positive antibodies to Spirometra mansoni in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In addition, during the operation, an ivory-colored live sparganosis was removed under the precise positioning of neuronavigation, and the patient was diagnosed with cerebral sparganosis. The patient began praziquantel and sodium valproate treatment after the operation, and was followed up for 3 months. There was no recurrence of epilepsy, and the weakness and numbness of the right limb improved. CONCLUSION: Nonspecific clinical manifestations often make the diagnosis of cerebral sparganosis difficult, and a comprehensive diagnosis should be made based on epidemiological history, clinical manifestations, ELISA results and imaging findings. Surgery is the preferred method for the treatment of cerebral sparganosis, and more satisfactory results can be achieved under the precise positioning of neuronavigation.

Misdiagnosis of cerebral sparganosis coexisting with HIV/AIDS: a case report.

Sparganosis, especially cerebral sparganosis, is a rare comorbidity of HIV/AIDS. Owing to nonspecific symptoms of sparganosis, diagnosis and treatment of the disease are challenging with a very high rate of misdiagnosis. This case report summarizes the clinical data of a case of cerebral sparganosis in a patient with HIV/AIDS. It provides a reference for the treatment of HIV/AIDS coexisting with parasitic encephalopathy (cerebral sparganosis). Cerebral sparganosis has been reported worldwide, especially in Asian countries. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of cerebral sparganosis associated with HIV/AIDS.