[Scanning electron microscope observation of plerocercoid from Rana nigromaculata in Guizhou Province].

Five integral and active plerocercoids collected from naturally infected frogs were fixed by glutaraldehyde-osmic acid, dehydrated in graded series of ethanol, dried via vacuum freeze and coated with carbon gold. They were then observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the anterior and posterior ends of the plerocercoids were slightly swell and without segmentation. Annular furrows ran irregularly along the body surface. The anterior end was drawn inside and had a deep dorsoventral hollow, around which, the plasma membrane displayed a lip bulge. The posterior end was similar to the anterior one in the shape, but a fissure in its central part was comparatively narrower and shallower than the hollow in the anterior end. There were thousands of pits and grooves on the body surface, unequal in size. The whole body surface of the plerocercoid was densely covered by sharp spine-like microtriches.

Proliferating larval cestode in a man in Paraguay. A case report and review.

Large tumors removed from the lower abdomen and pleural cavity of a 24-year-old male Amerindian in Paraguay consisted mainly of multitudes of minute, proliferating, acephalic cestode larvae embedded in fibrous tissue. The parasite resembled Sparganum proliferum Stiles 1908 but was markedly less differentiated. From a review of the literature and examination of available reference material, it is concluded that in addition to the present one there are eight well documented cases of proliferating acephalic larval cestode infection in man: five in Japan and one in Florida (USA) that were S. proliferum, one in Pennsylvania (USA) that was an undifferentiated cysticercus or cysticercoid, and one in Taiwan that probably was an undifferentiated tetrathyridium. In four other cases the parasites are reclassified as being of doubtful nature in three and a racemose cysticercus in one. Review of the known species of proliferating cestode larvae naturally occurring in animals failed to identify possible sources of the acephalic forms observed in man.

Proliferative sparganosis in a cat.

Aberrant, proliferative sparganosis was diagnosed in a 6-yr-old male domestic long-haired cat from Gainesville, Florida. The cat spent all of its life in Florida. Postmortem examination revealed lesions and spargana in the stomach, spleen, and liver. By light and electron microscopy, unusual mononuclear cells, interpreted as host-derived monocytes, were evident in the stroma of the spargana. Retrovirus-like particles were present in the cytoplasm of some of these cells.

[A case of human sparganosis in Argentina]. / Un caso de esparganosis humana en Argentina.

A male patient from Peru presented a nodule localized in the left costal region. All other clinical and laboratory data were normal. Upon biopsy, an helminth parasite emerged from the subcutaneous tissue, which presented a marked eosinophil infiltrate. The helminth was classified as a plerocercoid larva of Spirometra; the species was not determined. Since Spirometra are not common in Argentina, it is presumed that the patient was infested during his two year sojourn in the peruvian forest. Some epidemiological aspects are discussed. As far as we know, this is the first case of subcutaneous sparganosis and the second of sparganosis reported in Argentina.

Esparganose em alguns vertebrados do Brasil: dificuldades na identificaçao das espécies de Luheella (Spirometra) / Sparganum in some brazilian vertebrates: problems in the identification of species of Luheella (Spirometra)

Sparganum in some Brazilian vertebrates. Problems in the identification of species of Luheella (Spirometra) - Some species of Amphibia and Reptilia are listed as new hosts of spargana, from material deposited in the Helminthological Collection of Oswaldo Cruz Institute. It is discussed the difficulties in identifying the larvae (Sparganum) and also the identification of adults of Luheella species from South America. The histopathology induced by spargana in the liver of a species of Amphibia is briefly described

Primer hallazgo de Spirometra mansoni en Felis domesticus de Costa Rica / First report of Spirometra mansoni in Felis domesticus from Costa Rica

Se describe un céstodo encontrado en el intestino delgado de gatos provenientes de dos zonas diferentes de Costa Rica (Liberia-Guanacaste y Atenas-Alajuela). De acuerdo con un análisis comparativo morfológico se concluye que los ejemplares hallados corresponden a parásitos del género Spirometra ya que presentan el útero espiralado y huevecillos con los extremos puntiagudos, a diferencia del útero en roseta y huevecillos con extremos redondeados que se encuentran en el género Diphyllobothrium. Dado que presentan un número variable de vueltas en la parte anterior del útero y la vagina es ondulada se clasifican como Spirometra mansoni, siendo éste el primer reporte de este parásito en el país. Se hace una corta revisión de la importancia de este parasito para el ser humano.