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International Journal of Infectious... Apr 2022To differentiate diagnostic and prognostic factors from the clinical material of patients with cerebral sparganosis in central South China.
OBJECTIVE
To differentiate diagnostic and prognostic factors from the clinical material of patients with cerebral sparganosis in central South China.
METHODS
Consecutive patients with cerebral sparganosis from our hospital between 2010 and 2018 were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical manifestations, radiographic features, treatment, and outcomes of these patients were analyzed.
RESULTS
Thirty patients with cerebral sparganosis were included, and foci migration on magnetic resonance imaging was detected in 22 patients, from whom we observed 4 migration modes: interlobar migration (50.0%, 11/22); transmidline migration (27.3%, 6/22); transventricular migration (13.6%, 3/22); and cerebellum-brainstem migration (9.1%, 2/22). The percentage of good outcomes was higher in patients with live worm capture than in those without live worm capture (75.0%, 12/16 vs 33.3%, 2/6). Exposure to preoperative antiparasitic medication was associated with worm migration toward the cortical surface, which led to a higher probability of live worm capture.
CONCLUSIONS
We propose 4 modes of sparganosis migration that are correlated with worm capture and neurologic prognosis. We found that exposure to antiparasitic medication was associated with worm migration toward the cortical surface, leading to a higher probability of live worm capture. These observations suggest a novel significance for preoperative medication of cerebral sparganosis.
Topics: Antiparasitic Agents; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Sparganosis
PubMed: 35017108
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.01.005 -
Revista Chilena de Infectologia :... Apr 2022Parasitic infections cause a huge burden of disease and are a current public health problem. The category of emerging or re-emerging disease is influenced by phenomena... (Review)
Review
Parasitic infections cause a huge burden of disease and are a current public health problem. The category of emerging or re-emerging disease is influenced by phenomena that occur in today's interconnected world because of globalization, the displacement of people, trade, uncoordinated urbanization and climate change, they have a very important influence on transmission of these diseases. In 2021 there was an increase in the number of patients who have required treatment for diphyllobothriasis in the Los Ríos Region. This article reviews aspects related to integrated Health Service networks to provide access to pharmacological treatments to patients diagnosed with diphyllobothriasis (tapeworm infection), implemented by the Valdivia Health Service Department, in collaboration with the San José de Osorno hospital, primary care centers and private centers in the Los Ríos Region.
Topics: Diphyllobothriasis; Humans; Praziquantel
PubMed: 35856998
DOI: 10.4067/S0716-10182022000200221 -
Parasites & Vectors Nov 2020Spirometra erinaceieuropaei is a diphylobothriid tapeworm with a complex life-cycle including definitive, intermediate and paratenic (transport) hosts. Multiple routes...
BACKGROUND
Spirometra erinaceieuropaei is a diphylobothriid tapeworm with a complex life-cycle including definitive, intermediate and paratenic (transport) hosts. Multiple routes of parasite transmission often make it impossible to determine what type of host a specific infected animal is considered to be. Spargana larvae cause sparganosis, a severe food- and water-borne disease mainly found in Asia. In Poland, Spirometra sp. was reported in large carnivores in Białowieża Primeval Forest for the first time in the 1940s and was recently confirmed as S. erinaceieuropaei in several mammals and snakes using molecular methods.
METHODS
In total, 583 carcasses of 9 carnivore species were necropsied between 2013 and 2019 in north-eastern (NE) Poland. The larvae of S. erinaceieuropaei (spargana) were isolated from subcutaneous tissue, counted, and preserved for genetic analyses. We calculated the prevalence and intensity of infection. To assess spatial variation in S. erinaceieuropaei infection probability in NE Poland, we applied a generalized additive model (GAM) with binomial error distribution. To confirm the species affiliation of isolated larvae, we amplified a partial fragment of the 18S rRNA gene (240 bp in length).
RESULTS
Spirometra larvae were found in the subcutaneous tissue of 172 animals of 7 species and confirmed genetically as S. erinaceieuropaei. The overall prevalence in all studied hosts was 29.5% with a mean infection intensity of 14.1 ± 33.8 larvae per individual. Native European badgers and invasive raccoon dogs were characterized by the highest prevalence. An analysis of parasite spread showed a spatially diversified probability of infection with the highest values occurring in the biodiversity hot spot, Białowieża Primeval Forest.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study revealed that various mammal species (both native and non-native) can serve as S. erinaceieuropaei reservoirs. The frequency and level of infection may differ between selected hosts and likely depend on host diversity and habitat structure in a given area. Further studies are needed to assess the distribution of the parasite throughout Europe and the environmental and biological factors influencing infection severity in wild mammals.
Topics: Animals; Carnivora; Cestode Infections; Disease Reservoirs; Geography; Life Cycle Stages; Phylogeny; Poland; Prevalence; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Snakes; Sparganosis; Spirometra
PubMed: 33168087
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04431-5 -
Parasitology Jul 2022Durrington Walls was a large Neolithic settlement in Britain dating around 2500 BCE, located very close to Stonehenge and likely to be the campsite where its builders...
Durrington Walls was a large Neolithic settlement in Britain dating around 2500 BCE, located very close to Stonehenge and likely to be the campsite where its builders lived during its main stage of construction. Nineteen coprolites recovered from a midden and associated pits at Durrington Walls were analysed for intestinal parasite eggs using digital light microscopy. Five (26%) contained helminth eggs, 1 with those of fish tapeworm (likely ) and 4 with those of capillariid nematodes. Analyses of bile acid and sterol from these 5 coprolites show 1 to be of likely human origin and the other 4 to likely derive from dogs. The presence of fish tapeworm reveals that the Neolithic people who gathered to feast at Durrington Walls were at risk of infection from eating raw or undercooked freshwater fish. When the eggs of capillariids are found in the feces of humans or dogs it normally indicates that the internal organs (liver, lung or intestines) of animals with capillariasis have been eaten, and eggs passed through the gut without causing disease. Their presence in multiple coprolites provides new evidence that internal organs of animals were consumed. These novel findings improve our understanding of both parasitic infection and dietary habits associated with this key Neolithic ceremonial site.
Topics: Animals; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Dogs; Feces; Helminths; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Parasites
PubMed: 35592918
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182022000476 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Apr 2022The 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...
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.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Humans; Hypesthesia; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Praziquantel; Sparganosis; Spirometra; Young Adult
PubMed: 35397512
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07293-7 -
Parasites & Vectors Feb 2024Sparganosis is a worldwide food-borne parasitic disease caused by spargana infection, which infects the muscle of frogs and snakes as well as many tissues and organs in...
BACKGROUND
Sparganosis is a worldwide food-borne parasitic disease caused by spargana infection, which infects the muscle of frogs and snakes as well as many tissues and organs in humans. There are currently no viable treatments for sparganosis. Understanding spargana's nutrition source and carbohydrate metabolism may be crucial for identifying its energy supply and establishing methods of treatment for sparganosis.
METHODS
Using an amino acid analyzer and nutrient concentration detection kits, we assessed nutrient concentrations in the muscles of Fejervarya limnocharis and Pelophylax plancyi infected or not infected with spargana. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to quantify the major enzymes involved in five glucose metabolism pathways of spargana developing in vivo. We also used quantitative PCR to assess key enzymes and transcriptome sequencing to explore the regulation of carbohydrate metabolic pathways in vitro in response to different 24-h food treatments.
RESULTS
Infected muscle tissues had considerably higher concentrations of glucogenic and/or ketogenic amino acids, glucose, and glycogen than non-infected muscle tissues. We discovered that the number of differentially expressed genes in Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was larger in low-glucose than in other dietary groups. We examined differences in the expression of genes producing amino acid transporters, glucose transporters, and cathepsins in spargana grown in various nutritional environments. In the normal saline group, only the major enzymes in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), glycogenesis, and glycogenolysis pathways were expressed. The L-glutamine group had the greatest transcriptional levels of critical rate-limiting enzymes of gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis. Furthermore, the low-glucose group had the highest transcriptional levels of critical rate-limiting enzymes involved in the TCA, glycolytic, and glycogenolysis pathways. Surprisingly, when compared to the in vitro culturing groups, spargana developing in vivo exhibited higher expression of these critical rate-limiting enzymes in these pathways, with the exception of the pentose phosphate pathway.
CONCLUSIONS
Spargana have a variety of nutritional sources, and there is a close relationship between nutrients and the carbohydrate metabolism pathways. It takes a multi-site approach to block nutrient absorption and carbohydrate metabolism pathways to provide energy to kill them.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Sparganum; Sparganosis; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Anura; Nutrients; Glucose; Growth and Development
PubMed: 38365789
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06148-1 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2022The geographic distribution of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea), the causative agent of food/water-borne sparganosis, is restricted to Europe,...
The geographic distribution of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea), the causative agent of food/water-borne sparganosis, is restricted to Europe, where infected canids, felids, mustelids, suids, and reptiles have been documented from Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia, and Finland. The main objective of the current study was to map the molecular divergence of S. erinaceieuropaei from Finland using the complete sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1 mtDNA). Seven cox1 haplotypes were determined in 15 tapeworms from Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from three localities in southern Finland. In addition, the first inter-population study of S. erinaceieuropaei based on currently obtained data on cox1 from Finland and previously published data from Finland, Latvia, Ukraine, and Poland, was performed. The haplotype network showed a star-like pattern without specific subdivision of lineages according to the locality. Samples from Finland, Latvia, and Poland shared several haplotypes and formed the common Baltic lineage. The haplotype of S. erinaceieuropaei from Ukraine was unique and placed on a separate mutational pathway, suggesting a different lineage of the parasite.
Topics: Animals; DNA, Mitochondrial; Europe; Phylogeny; Sparganosis; Spirometra
PubMed: 35148496
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2022009 -
The Korean Journal of Parasitology Dec 2021Human sparganosis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by the plerocercoids of Spirometra species. Clinical diagnosis of sparganosis is crucial for effective...
Human sparganosis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by the plerocercoids of Spirometra species. Clinical diagnosis of sparganosis is crucial for effective treatment, thus it is important to identify sensitive and specific antigens of plerocercoids. The aim of the current study was to identify and characterize the immunogenic proteins of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei plerocercoids that were recognized by patient sera. Crude soluble extract of the plerocercoids were separated using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with immunoblot and mass spectrometry analysis. Based on immunoblotting patterns and mass spectrometry results, 8 antigenic proteins were identified from the plerocercoid. Among the proteins, cysteine protease protein might be developed as an antigen for diagnosis of sparganosis.
Topics: Animals; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; Humans; Immunoblotting; Proteomics; Sparganosis; Spirometra
PubMed: 34974668
DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2021.59.6.615 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Nov 2022We report molecular identification of an adult Spirometra mansoni tapeworm retrieved from a crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) in Colombia, confirming presence of this...
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.
Topics: Animals; Adult; Humans; Spirometra; Sparganosis; Cestode Infections; South America; Colombia
PubMed: 36286232
DOI: 10.3201/eid2811.220529 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Aug 2019Sparganosis, a rare and severe parasitic infection caused by the larvae of Spirometra species or simply sparganum, generally involves subcutaneous tissue or muscle. But... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Sparganosis, a rare and severe parasitic infection caused by the larvae of Spirometra species or simply sparganum, generally involves subcutaneous tissue or muscle. But occasionally, sparganum can also invade the human brain, resulting in cerebral sparganosis.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 33-year-old woman presented with a 10-day history of headache. Postcontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an irregular lesion with enhancement and the tunnel-shaped focus extending to the contralateral hemiphere. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis disclosed pleocytosis (166 cells/μL) and an elevated protein concentration (0.742 g/L). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed positive sparganum-specific antibody in both blood and CSF. Finally, the diagnosis of cerebral sparganosis was comfirmed. She received praziquantel treatment and got a favorable outcome during six-month follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS
Irregular enhancement and the tunnel sign that extends to the contralateral hemisphere on postconstrast MRI are unusual presentations of cerebral sparganosis. ELISA for sparganum-specific antibody can help confirm the diagnosis. Although surgery is the preferred treatment for cerebral sparganosis, praziquantel might also achieve satisfying outcomes.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Anthelmintics; Antibodies, Helminth; Brain Diseases; Cerebrospinal Fluid; Contrast Media; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Headache; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Praziquantel; Sparganosis; Spirometra
PubMed: 31455261
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4396-2