RESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
Esparganosis , Animales , Esparganosis/epidemiología , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/parasitología , Humanos , Medio Oriente/epidemiología , India/epidemiología , Zoonosis/parasitología , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificación , Perros , GatosRESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
Esparganosis , Spirometra , Animales , Spirometra/genética , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificación , Spirometra/clasificación , Esparganosis/parasitología , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Humanos , China , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/genética , Femenino , FilogeniaRESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
Esparganosis , Animales , Humanos , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/terapia , Esparganosis/parasitología , Inmunoglobulina G , Plerocercoide , Biomarcadores , Imagen por Resonancia MagnéticaRESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
Cisticercosis , Esparganosis , Spirometra , Masculino , Animales , Humanos , Adulto , Spirometra/genética , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/parasitología , Esparganosis/patología , Filogenia , Secuenciación de Nucleótidos de Alto Rendimiento , MetagenómicaRESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
Neoplasias Encefálicas , Esparganosis , Spirometra , Animales , Humanos , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/parasitología , Esparganosis/patología , Neoplasias Encefálicas/complicaciones , IndiaRESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Cestodos , Esparganosis , Spirometra , Animales , Adulto , Humanos , Spirometra/genética , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/epidemiología , Esparganosis/parasitología , Infecciones por Cestodos/epidemiología , Infecciones por Cestodos/veterinaria , América del Sur/epidemiología , ColombiaRESUMEN
The plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm Spirometra erinaceieuropaei can parasitize humans and animals and cause serious parasitic zoonosis. However, our knowledge of the developmental process of S. erinaceieuropaei is still inadequate. To better characterize differential and specific genes and pathways associated with parasite development, a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the plerocercoid stage and the adult stage was performed using RNA-seq and de novo analysis. Approximately 13,659 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in plerocercoids versus adults, of which 6455 DEGs were upregulated and 7204 were downregulated. DEGs involved in parasite immunoevasion were more active in plerocercoid larvae than in adults, while DEGs associated with metabolic activity were upregulated in adults. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes (KEGG) analyses revealed that most DEGs involved in protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and the Wnt signalling pathway were much more active in plerocercoid larvae. The molecular functions of upregulated unigenes in adults were mainly enriched for metabolic activities. qPCR validated that the expression levels of 10 selected DEGs were consistent with those in RNA-seq, confirming the accuracy of the RNA-seq results. Our results contributed to increasing the knowledge on the S. erinaceieuropaei gene repertoire and expression profile and also provide valuable resources for functional studies on the molecular mechanisms of S. erinaceieuropaei.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Cestodos , Esparganosis , Spirometra , Animales , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Esparganosis/parasitología , Spirometra/genética , Transcriptoma , ZoonosisRESUMEN
To improve our understanding of the migration of sparganum in humans, we report a case of ocular sparganosis having the migratory episode from the muscle cone to the subconjunctiva. A 34-year-old woman was admitted to the Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Hefei, China), in December 2019. She presented with conjunctival hemorrhage and recurrent pain in the left eye. A foreign body was found in the muscle cone of the eye. Two months later, a ribbon-like white material was found under the conjunctiva on slit-lamp examination. A long and slender, actively moving parasite was extracted by surgery. The extracted worm was approximately 8 cm long and 2 mm wide. The worm was whitish, wrinkled, ribbon shaped, and had a slightly enlarged scolex. The worm sample was morphologically identified as a plerocercoid larva (sparganum) of the Spirometra tapeworm. Her conjunctival blood suffusion and eye pain ceased within 1 week after operation. She has been in good health without any symptoms during the 2-year follow-up. A case of ocular sparganosis, in which larval worm migrated from the muscle cone to the subconjunctiva is reported from China.
Asunto(s)
Cestodos , Oftalmopatías , Esparganosis , Spirometra , Humanos , Animales , Femenino , Adulto , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/cirugía , Esparganosis/parasitología , Plerocercoide , Músculos , China , LarvaRESUMEN
This study reports the first two clinical cases of spirometrosis caused by Spirometra sp. in cats in Korea. In these two cases, the cats vomited, and long proglottids of tapeworm were recovered. The sick cats presented with anorexia and lethargy. However, they unexpectedly showed no diarrhea, which is the main symptom of spirometrosis. Based on a fecal floatation test as well as morphological and molecular analyses, the parasite was diagnosed as Spirometra sp. The 2 cases were treated with praziquantel. This study suggests regular monitoring of health and deworming in companion animals, even when animals are well cared for, with regular preventive medication. Additionally, spirometrosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of gastrointestinal symptoms in Spirometra endemic areas.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades de los Gatos/parasitología , Esparganosis/veterinaria , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificación , Animales , Antihelmínticos/administración & dosificación , Enfermedades de los Gatos/tratamiento farmacológico , Gatos , Praziquantel/uso terapéutico , República de Corea , Esparganosis/tratamiento farmacológico , Esparganosis/parasitología , Spirometra/clasificación , Spirometra/efectos de los fármacos , Spirometra/genéticaRESUMEN
A 92-year-old Japanese woman presented with a mass in the left breast, and sparganosis was suspected by biopsy of the mass. The mass disappeared once, but it reappeared at the same site one year later. For a definitive diagnosis, the mass was surgically removed, and a sparganum-like worm was detected. The causative agent was confirmed as Spirometra Type I (most probably Spirometra mansoni) by mitochondrial DNA analysis. The serological examination also proved the case as sparganosis. Considering the presence of two Spirometra species (Type I and II) in Asia, particularly Japan, molecular analysis of the causative agents is highly recommended to understand the epidemiology, infection sources, and pathogenicity in humans in both species, if the parasite specimens are available.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades de la Mama/diagnóstico , Glándulas Mamarias Humanas/parasitología , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificación , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Animales , Enfermedades de la Mama/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedades de la Mama/parasitología , Enfermedades de la Mama/patología , Femenino , Humanos , Japón , Glándulas Mamarias Humanas/diagnóstico por imagen , Glándulas Mamarias Humanas/patología , Esparganosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Esparganosis/parasitología , Plerocercoide/aislamiento & purificaciónRESUMEN
A 22-year-old Thai man from the Northeast region presented with acute eye swelling, itching, and discharge on his left eye. He was suspected of having gnathostomiasis and treated with albendazole and prednisolone for 3 weeks. Nine months later, he was treated with high-dose oral prednisolone for the preliminary and differential diagnoses with thyroid-associated orbitopathy and lymphoma. He had been administered prednisolone intermittently over a few years. Then he developed a painless movable mass at the left upper eyelid and recurrent pseudotumor oculi was suspected. The surgical removal of the mass was performed. A white pseudosegmented worm revealed a definite diagnosis of ocular sparganosis by a plerocercoid larva. Molecular diagnosis of the causative species was made based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. Proper technique of extraction and amplification of short fragments DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue successfully identified parasite species. The result from the sequencing of the PCR-amplified cox1 fragments in this study showed 99.0% sequence homology to Spirometra ranarum. This is the first report of S. ranarum in Thailand.
Asunto(s)
Oftalmopatías/diagnóstico , Oftalmopatías/parasitología , Ojo/parasitología , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/parasitología , Plerocercoide/genética , Plerocercoide/aislamiento & purificación , Spirometra/genética , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificación , Adulto , Animales , ADN de Helmintos , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Oftalmopatías/cirugía , Genes de Helminto/genética , Humanos , Masculino , Esparganosis/cirugía , Tailandia , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Frogs are the main source of infection for human sparganosis. In this study, the prevalence and pathogenicity of plerocercoid larvae (sparganum) in frogs collected from the Yangtze River Delta in East China were investigated. A total of 386 frogs belonging to five species were purchased from farmers' markets across all three provincial level areas in the Yangtze River Delta region. The overall prevalence was 4.9% (19/386), and 39 spargana were detected visually, with the intensity ranging from 1 to 11. The spargana infection rate was 7.7% (11/143) in Jiangsu Province and 4.4% (8/181) in Shanghai City, while no spargana infection was detected in Zhejiang Province. In five tested frog species, only Rana nigromaculata and R. limnocharis were found to harbor spargana infection, with a prevalence of 7.7% (13/168) and 6.3% (6/95), respectively. There was no significant difference among the months of the experimental period, July to September. The spargana mostly parasitized the muscle tissues of frogs, especially in the hind legs. All the spargana were identified by molecular analysis based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) genes, and all plerocercoids were Spirometra erinaceieuropaei. Nine mice were infected orally with 1 to 3 scoleces, and 77.8% (14/18) of plerocercoids were found in mice at the 30th day post infection. No obvious clinical symptoms were observed in the mice; however, histopathological analysis showed an inflammatory cellular response in all tissues except intestinal tissue. Hematologic analysis showed an increased number of white blood cells (WBCs) at the 18th day post infection. These results indicated that R. nigromaculata and R. limnocharis are a potential source of zoonotic sparganosis in the Yangtze River Delta of China, and farmed frogs may substantially reduce zoonotic risk as compared to eating wild frogs. Our findings will provide data for frog food safety and prevention and control of sparganosis in the region.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Cestodos/parasitología , Ranidae/parasitología , Esparganosis/parasitología , Plerocercoide/genética , Spirometra/genética , Animales , Infecciones por Cestodos/epidemiología , Infecciones por Cestodos/veterinaria , China/epidemiología , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/genética , Granjas , Femenino , Parasitología de Alimentos , Humanos , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos ICR , Tipificación Molecular , NADH Deshidrogenasa/genética , Filogenia , Prevalencia , Esparganosis/epidemiología , Esparganosis/veterinaria , Plerocercoide/clasificación , Spirometra/clasificación , Zoonosis/parasitologíaRESUMEN
Human sparganosis is a zoonotic disease caused by infection and migration of the plerocercoid of Spirometra spp. Although sparganosis were reported from most parts of the body, the sparganum parasitizing inside cerebral artery is remarkably uncommon. We report a case of cerebral intravascular sparganosis in an elderly patient with acute ischemic stroke who was diagnosed by retrieving sparganum during mechanical thrombectomy. Finally, the parasites were identified as Spirometra erinaceieuropaei using multiplex PCR and cox1 gene sequencing.
Asunto(s)
Arterias Cerebrales/parasitología , Esparganosis/parasitología , Plerocercoide/aislamiento & purificación , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificación , Trombectomía/métodos , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Animales , Pueblo Asiatico , Humanos , Masculino , Esparganosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Esparganosis/transmisión , Plerocercoide/genética , Spirometra/genética , Accidente Cerebrovascular/etiología , Accidente Cerebrovascular/terapiaRESUMEN
Proliferative sparganosis is one of the most bizarre and mysterious parasitic diseases ever described. The causative parasite is Sparganum proliferum, which is a pseudophyllidean cestode distinct from Spirometra tapeworms. Here we overview this rare but fascinating disease with the all original case reports on human patients published in the last 115 years. Proliferative sparganosis is clearly divided into two disease types, cutaneous and internal proliferative sparganosis. Cutaneous type starts with a skin eruption caused by the dermal invasion of a sparganum. Skin lesion progresses to larger areas of the body if left untreated. Various internal organs and body wall can be eventually affected. The clinical symptoms of patients in this group are very similar to each other. Molecular data suggest that cutaneous proliferative sparganosis is caused by S. proliferum of which genetic variation is limited, regardless of the time or localities of the emergence of patients. Internal proliferative sparganosis, on the other hand, is much more heterogeneous. Some cases show aggressive infection in internal organs, while others show only restricted lesions. Some of the cases that had been cited as proliferative sparganosis in the past literature were removed from the list, because they were judged as cyclophyllidean tapeworm infections. DNA sequencing is mandatory for the definite diagnosis of proliferative sparganosis. The Venezuelan strain of S. proliferum is maintained in experimental mice in Japan, which is fully prepared for the experimental study with advanced technologies in modern molecular biology.
Asunto(s)
Esparganosis/parasitología , Plerocercoide/fisiología , Animales , Humanos , Enfermedades Cutáneas Parasitarias/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Cutáneas Parasitarias/parasitología , Enfermedades Cutáneas Parasitarias/patología , Esparganosis/clasificación , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/patologíaRESUMEN
Human sparganosis is a food-borne zoonosis mainly caused by the plerocercoid belonging to the genus Spirometra. The most common clinical sign of sparganosis is a subcutaneous mass in the trunk including abdominal or chest wall. The mass may be mistaken for a malignant tumor, thereby causing difficulty in terms of diagnosis and treatment. A 66-year-old woman visited our clinic for the removal of a lipoma-like mass. It was movable, hard, and painless. We identified 2 white mass, measuring 0.2×4 cm and 0.2×1 cm. Pathologic findings indicated the white mass was a sparganum. She recalled having eaten a raw frog approximately 60 years before. A 35-year-old who lived North Korea was also presented to our clinic with an asymptomatic nodule on her abdomen. Intraoperatively, we found sparganum approximately 24 cm size. Subcutaneous masses are associated with clinical signs of inflammation or they may mimic a soft tissue neoplasm. While the incidence rate of sparganosis has decreased with economic development and advancements in sanitation, surgeons still encounter patients with sparganosis in the clinical setting. Therefore, a careful history is required in order to diagnose sparganosis.
Asunto(s)
Abdomen/cirugía , Lipoma/parasitología , Esparganosis/parasitología , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificación , Adulto , Anciano , Animales , Femenino , Humanos , Lipoma/cirugía , Esparganosis/cirugía , Spirometra/clasificación , Spirometra/genéticaRESUMEN
A 50-year-old Chinese woman with a history of weakness and paroxysmal seizures of the left limb presented to our hospital with a ten-day history of neck pain. Imaging showed that there was a mass in the frontal lobe of her brain. On resection of the mass, a motile worm was identified. Morphological observation and molecular analysis of the mitochondrial COX1 and 28S rRNA genes of the worm extracted from the brain identified the causative agent as Spirometra mansoni. Homology search of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified products from the case was conducted against gene fragments from local wild frogs. High homology was found between them, showing her likely exposure was frog consumption.
Asunto(s)
Encefalopatías/parasitología , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/parasitología , Animales , Encefalopatías/cirugía , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Esparganosis/cirugía , Spirometra/aislamiento & purificaciónRESUMEN
Sparganosis is a parasitic infestation caused by sparganum, a plerocercoid tapeworm larva of the genus Spirometra. Since the first case of human sparganosis reported in 1908, sparganosis has been a global disease, and is common in China, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries. Consumption of raw snakes, frogs, fish, or drinking contaminated beverages are sources of human infections. Human sparganosis usually manifests in subcutaneous fat in areas such as the abdomen, genitourinary tract, and limbs. Breast sparganosis cases are rare, representing less than 2% of total cases of human infections. Complete surgical extraction of the sparganum is the treatment of choice. Because of the rarity of the disease, clinical suspicion is vital to reach the diagnosis of breast sparganosis. Here we report 2 rare cases of breast sparganosis presenting with a painless breast lump, both treated with surgical excision and sparganum extraction.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades de la Mama/diagnóstico , Enfermedades de la Mama/patología , Mama/patología , Mama/parasitología , Esparganosis/diagnóstico , Esparganosis/patología , Plerocercoide/aislamiento & purificación , Anciano , Animales , Enfermedades de la Mama/parasitología , Enfermedades de la Mama/cirugía , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Esparganosis/parasitología , Esparganosis/cirugía , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
The authors report the case of a 56-year-old woman with mammary sparganosis due to infection with a plerocercoid tapeworm larva of Spirometra mansoni. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an area of heterogeneous density in outer upper quadrant of the right breast, with a high likelihood of malignancy. During surgery for the removal of a granuloma, the parasite was discovered and excised. The authors review the pathological and imaging features of mammary sparganosis.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades de la Mama/parasitología , Enfermedades de la Mama/cirugía , Esparganosis/parasitología , Esparganosis/cirugía , Spirometra/patogenicidad , Animales , Enfermedades de la Mama/diagnóstico por imagen , Femenino , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Persona de Mediana Edad , Esparganosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Ultrasonografía MamariaRESUMEN
Sparganosis is a rare zoonotic parasitosis that is sporadically reported worldwide. In Australia, the causative tapeworms are considered endemic in wildlife animals, however, there have been only five reported human infections. We present three additional cases of sparganosis, involving two Australian born gentlemen who have never travelled overseas and a woman who emigrated from Ethiopia. The first man presented with two unusual subcutaneous lumps that migrated along the anterior abdominal wall connected by a tunnel. The second man presented with two separate lumps, one on the thigh and the other on the left upper abdomen over a 4-week interval. The woman presented with 6 weeks of intermittent fevers, night sweats, abdominal pain and passing intestinal worms. This series of patients suggests that sparganosis is under-recognised in Australia and serves as a reminder for clinicians to the varied presentations that can be characteristic of this lesser known zoonosis.