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.

Case report: the first case of human infection by adult of SPIROMETRA ERINACEIEUROPAEI in VIETNAM.

BACKGROUND: Tapeworms of the genus Spirometra include species whose larval stages can infect humans, causing a disease called sparganosis. Cases of human infection with adult worms are very rare and have been reported in Korea and China. Here we report the first case of human infection with an adult of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei in Vietnam. CASE PRESENTATION: A 23-year-old male was admitted to 103 Military Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam with fever, weight loss and epigastric discomfort. Preliminary diagnosis based on discovery of parasite eggs in his faeces incorrectly determined a fluke as the agent of the infection and praziquantel was prescribed. Two days later he passed out proglottids in his stool. The tapeworm was identified as Spirometra erinaceieuropaei using morphological and molecular tools. CONCLUSION: This is the first case of human infection with adult worm of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei in Vietnam.

A neglected risk for sparganosis: eating live tadpoles in central China.

A 29-year-old farmer from central China was sent into the Emergency Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. He had a 15-day history of persistent high fever, abdominal distention and pain. The patient was clinically diagnosed as appendicitis and peritonitis, and treated with antibiotics in a local hospital, did not improve. On exploratory laparotomy, the appendicular perforation and peritonitis were seen; appendicectomy were performed, and antibiotics were given. However, high fever and abdominal pain still persisted; intestinal adhesion and obstruction, ascites appeared. He was given the "critically ill notice". He had eosinophilia (12.95%) and the history of eating live frog tadpoles for treating his cutaneous pruritus 3 days before onset of the disease. Serum anti-sparganum antibodies assayed by ELISA were positive. This patient has hospitalized for one and half months and spend more than US$ 12 000. This patient was primarily diagnosed as visceral sparganosis, and cured with praziquantel.Sparganosis is one neglected but important parasitic zoonosis of poverty. Human infections were mainly acquired by eating raw or uncooked meat of frogs and snakes infected with plerocercoids, using frog or snake flesh as poultices, or drinking raw water contaminated with infected copepods. However, sparganosis caused by ingestion of live tadpoles are emerging in central China. Our surveys showed that 11.93% of tadpoles in Henan province are infected with plerocercoids. Eating live tadpoles is a high risk for sparganum infection. The comprehensive public health education should be carried out for people in endemic areas and the bad habit of eating live tadpoles must be discouraged.

[Pleural sparganosis: report of a case and review of the literature].

OBJECTIVE: To improve the understanding of pleural sparganosis by analyzing a clinical case and literature review. METHODS: The clinical data of a patient with pleural sparganosis diagnosed by immunoserology and pathology was analyzed. The data of 6 cases from literature reports regarding pleural sparganosis were reviewed through database including PubMed, VIP, Wanfang and China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database. The clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of the 7 cases were summarized and analyzed. RESULTS: A 38-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with right pleural effusion, and received the final diagnosis of pleural sparganosis according to increase of eosinophils in blood and plural effusion, positive sparganum-mansoni antibody in serum, and parasite bodies in pleural tissues biopsied with medical thoracoscopy. The patient was treated successfully with consecutive three-day doses of praziquantel (75 mg × kg⁻¹ × d⁻¹). The documents reported 6 cases of pleural sparganosis on the database of PubMed, Wafang,VIP and China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database. Pleural effusion was found in 5 cases by chest radiograph or CT.Serum sparganum-mansoni antibody assays were strongly positive in 5 cases, and sparganosis bodies were confirmed by pleural histological findings in 3 cases. Two patients received video-assisted thoracic surgery examinations. Six patients recovered with the treatment of praziquantel. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural sparganosis is a rare disease. Patients with increase of eosinophils in blood and pleural effusion should receive serum sparganum-mansoni antibody test to avoid misdiagnosis of pleural sparganosis. Medical thoracoscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis of pleural sparganosis.

[A case of Sparganum mansoni infection induced by eating live frogs].

A case of Sparganum mansoni infection induced by having live frogs in other city was reported in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. The patient was treated with praziquantel and the effect was satisfactory.

Sparganosis mimicking an intramedullary tumor of the cervical cord.

Sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection caused by the migrating plerocercoid larva of the tapeworm Spirometra mansoni that rarely affects the central nervous system. When sparganosis involves the spinal cord, it often affects the thoracic area. Here we report a patient with sparganosis mimicking an intramedullary tumor of the cervical cord. A 51-year-old male presented with slowly progressive paresthesias in all extremities and left-sided motor weakness. MRI of the spinal cord revealed an enhancing lesion from C1 to C4 that was suggestive of an intramedullary tumor. The results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays of the cerebrospinal fluid were consistent with infection with Spirometra mansoni, and the larvae were surgically removed. Sparganosis may mimic an intramedullary tumor of the spinal cord and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a cervical cord mass with an uncertain course.

Sparganosis in mainland China.

Sparganosis is an infection of humans and animals caused by the plerocercoid larvae (spargana) of various diphyllobothroid tapeworms belonging to the genus Spirometra. Sparganosis has been reported sporadically around the world, and a higher prevalence of the disease occurs in several Asian countries, including South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and China. To date, a total of more than 1000 cases of human sparganosis have been reported in 25 provinces in mainland China. Sparganosis is emerging in mainland China because of food consumption habits and the unusual practice of treating wounds or other lesions with poultices of frog or snake flesh. This article reviews the current status of sparganosis in mainland China. Increased public awareness about the risks associated with eating raw food and strengthened food safety measures are needed.

[Human plerocercoidosis and sparganosis: I. A historical review on aetiology].

Plerocercoid should not be confused with Sparganum. The scolex of plerocercoid has a bothrium or bothrial slit but there is no true scolex in sparganum. Plerocercoid is a developmental stage of an animal tapeworm, genus Spirometra. Sparganum is another generic name of a pseudophyllidean cestode. Plerocercoid causes benign plerocercoidosis and sparganum causes "malignant sparganosis". Plerocercoidosis is a parasitic zoonosis which can be food-borne, water-borne, contact-borne or mother-borne. During the past 20 years, there has been significant progress in studies of human plerocercoidosis and sparganosis, especially the former. Spirometra erinacei-europiea plerocercoidosis and sparganosis prolifera distributed mainly in East Asia. Spirometra mansonoides plerocercoidosis has been reported from the USA. Up to the present, approximately 1400 cases of plerocercoidosis were reported from China, Japan, Korea, USA and Thailand, and at least 16 well-documented cases of human proliferating sparganosis were reported worldwide (in Japan, China, Thailand, USA, Paraguay, Venezuela, and the Philippines). The life cycle of Sparganum is unknown. For plerocercoid, human being acts as a dead-end hosts, copepod and frogs serve as intermediate hosts, and snakes and carnivorous animals are its paratenic hosts. This review summarizes the research progress on aetiology and pathogenesis of human plerocercoidosis and sparganosis. The second part (in press) will be concentrated on their pathology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, control and prevention.

Public health risks of the flesh of farmed crocodiles.

The farming of crocodiles in the Northern Territory of Australia is a rapidly growing industry. The saltwater crocodile produces a premium quality skin which is sought world-wide for the lucrative leather trade and manufacture of finished articles. Flesh is considered to be a by-product of skin production. Several procedures are used in abattoirs to prevent the risk of cross contamination of flesh. The public health risks linked to the production of crocodile flesh are described for the two main diseases of concern, namely: sparganosis and salmonellosis. The slaughter and hygienic processing procedures and local laboratory evidence indicate that the consumption of crocodile flesh produced in the Northern Territory carries a negligible public health risk.

Sparganosis: clinical and pathologic observations in ten cases.

Sparganosis is an infection, usually of subcutaneous tissues, caused by the larva of a tapeworm of the genus Spirometra. Approximately 55 cases have been reported in this country, almost exclusively from the Southeastern states. We report an additional ten cases, all of which presented as a single subcutaneous mass. Questionnaires sent to the involved patients support the concept that the most likely route of infection in man is through the drinking of impure water. The primary significance of this organism is that infestation results in a subcutaneous mass which is clinically confused with neoplastic disease.