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Parasitology Research Jan 2021Diphyllobothriid tapeworms of the genus Spirometra are causative agents of sparganosis, food-borne zoonotic parasitic disease. They have been recorded in broad spectrum...
Diphyllobothriid tapeworms of the genus Spirometra are causative agents of sparganosis, food-borne zoonotic parasitic disease. They have been recorded in broad spectrum of hosts, including humans, in all continents except Antarctica. Spirometra tapeworms have been intensively studied in several Asian countries; however, they have been rather neglected in Europe. The aim of this study was to provide a pilot screening of Spirometra spp. in Latvia, where data on sparganosis are not available. Tapeworms morphologically identified as diphyllobothriid species were isolated from grey wolves Canis lupus and Eurasian lynxes Lynx lynx from Latvia during the hunting periods 2013-2019. The parasites were subjected to molecular genotyping using sequences of the partial large (LSU rDNA; 615 bp) and small (SSU rDNA; 720 bp) subunits of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene and complete (1566 bp) cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene of the mitochondrial DNA (cox1 mtDNA). Analyses of both ribosomal subunits of 13 tapeworms revealed no intraspecific variation within the respective rDNA subunits. On the other hand, sequence analysis of mitochondrial cox1 revealed intraspecific polymorphism displayed by 12 cox1 haplotypes. Comparison of the current data with sequences of the corresponding DNA regions deposited in the GenBank revealed 99.3-99.5% (LSU rDNA), 99.2% (SSU rDNA) and 99.6-100% (cox1 mtDNA) identity of studied tapeworms with Spirometra erinaceieuropaei, which provided the first confirmation of this diphyllobothriid tapeworm in Latvia. Since S. erinaceieuropaei is probably prevalent in Latvian wildlife and may also occur in other potential host species, further studies are needed in order to acquire complex data on its geographic distribution and transmission in the natural environment of Latvia, as well as on the spectrum of its intermediate, paratenic, and definitive hosts.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Wild; Cyclooxygenase 1; DNA, Mitochondrial; DNA, Ribosomal; Female; Humans; Latvia; Lynx; Male; Molecular Typing; Phylogeny; Sparganosis; Spirometra; Wolves; Zoonoses
PubMed: 33174072
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06957-0 -
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 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Jan 2021Spinal sparganosis of the cauda equina has been rarely reported. A 54-year-old man presented at the hospital after having experienced lower back pain for 10 months,... (Review)
Review
Spinal sparganosis of the cauda equina has been rarely reported. A 54-year-old man presented at the hospital after having experienced lower back pain for 10 months, progressive weakness and numbness of the left leg for 4 months, and urinary incontinence for 3 weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbosacral spine revealed a heterogeneous enhancing mass at the T12-S1 level. Spinal sparganosis was diagnosed by histological examination and molecular identification of the parasite in the tissue section. The patient was treated with a high dose of praziquantel because the parasitic mass was only partially removed and symptoms worsened following surgery.
Topics: Anthelmintics; Anti-Ulcer Agents; Cauda Equina; Cimetidine; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Polyradiculopathy; Praziquantel; Sparganosis
PubMed: 33124542
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0712 -
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Feb 2021A 77-year-old woman presented at our hospital to undergo a close examination of an abnormal shadow which was observed on a chest radiograph. Contrast-enhanced computed...
A 77-year-old woman presented at our hospital to undergo a close examination of an abnormal shadow which was observed on a chest radiograph. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images in the lung window revealed a tortuous tunnel structure (tunnel sign), which was suspected to be the migration path of a parasite. Furthermore, CT images in the mediastinal window showed a linear filling defect from the right inferior pulmonary vein to the venous ostium in the left atrium (migrating sign), which was suspected to be a migrating parasite in the pulmonary vein. Tunnel and migrating signs on chest CT images were helpful in diagnosing pulmonary sparganosis.
Topics: Aged; Female; Heart Atria; Humans; Lung; Pulmonary Veins; Sparganosis; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 32999230
DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.5304-20 -
Lancet (London, England) Sep 2020
Topics: Animals; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Humans
PubMed: 32919508
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31178-8 -
Lancet (London, England) Sep 2020
Topics: Animals; Cestoda; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Humans; Intestines
PubMed: 32919507
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31192-2 -
[Rinsho Ketsueki] the Japanese Journal... 2020A 72-year-old man with ileocecal lymphadenopathy was found to have Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma using open biopsy, and an ileostoma was...
A 72-year-old man with ileocecal lymphadenopathy was found to have Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma using open biopsy, and an ileostoma was created. R-CHOP-like chemotherapy was initiated, but his malnutrition did not improve. After 3 cycles of chemotherapy, a 2-m-long Cestoda was removed from the stoma and was identified as Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense using mitochondria cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 targeted polymerase chain reaction analysis. Although D. nihonkaiense infections are asymptomatic, the ileostomy was thought to have exacerbated the malabsorption in this patient. Parasitic infections are rare; however, they should be added to the differential diagnosis of malnutrition of unknown cause during chemotherapy for hematological malignancies.
Topics: Aged; Animals; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Humans; Lymphoma; Male; Malnutrition; Mitochondria
PubMed: 32759561
DOI: 10.11406/rinketsu.61.750 -
Clinical Infectious Diseases : An... Mar 2021Sparganosis is a relatively neglected foodborne and waterborne disease caused by species of the tapeworm genus Spirometra, the global distribution of which has not been... (Review)
Review
Sparganosis is a relatively neglected foodborne and waterborne disease caused by species of the tapeworm genus Spirometra, the global distribution of which has not been sufficiently recognized. Known mainly as a zoonosis of East Asia, its species are native to all inhabited continents including Europe. Spirometra has been reported from numerous wildlife species from 17 European countries, and a critical review confirmed 17 autochthonous and 8 imported human clinical cases. We present the first molecular evidence of the coincident presence of 2 species in Europe and review the current distribution to raise awareness of the parasite in this region. Spirometra erinaceieuropaei is restricted to Europe and Spirometra mansoni represents a lineage distributed mainly across Asia and Oceania that reaches Europe. The parasite is common in Eastern Europe and its distribution has potential to expand along with its invasive or migrating mammal hosts, spreading the risks of human infection.
Topics: Animals; Asia; Europe; Humans; Sparganosis; Spirometra; Zoonoses
PubMed: 32702118
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1036 -
Infection, Genetics and Evolution :... Nov 2020Frogs are the main source of infection for human sparganosis. In this study, the prevalence and pathogenicity of plerocercoid larvae (sparganum) in frogs collected from...
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.
Topics: Animals; Cestode Infections; China; Electron Transport Complex IV; Farms; Female; Food Parasitology; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Molecular Typing; NADH Dehydrogenase; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Ranidae; Sparganosis; Sparganum; Spirometra; Zoonoses
PubMed: 32682864
DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104466 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jul 2020(Linnaeus, 1758) (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea; syn. ), is a fish-borne zoonotic parasite responsible for diphyllobothriasis in humans. Although has long been studied,...
(Linnaeus, 1758) (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea; syn. ), is a fish-borne zoonotic parasite responsible for diphyllobothriasis in humans. Although has long been studied, many aspects of its epidemiology and distribution remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, mean intensity of infestation, and mean abundance of plerocercoid larvae of in European perch () and its spatial distribution in three commercial fishing areas in Lake Iseo (Northern Italy). A total of 598 specimens of were caught in 2019. The total prevalence of was 6.5%. However, there were significant differences between areas (10.2% North; 7.3% Center; 1.5% South) (Chi-square test, = 0.0018). The mean intensity of infestation ranged from 1 larva in southern area to 1.2 larvae in both the central and northern (Pisogne) areas. In addition, the mean abundance ranged from 0.02 in the southern area to 0.26 in the northern area (Pisogne). The total number of larvae (anterior dorsal-AD = 21; anterior ventral-AV = 1; posterior dorsal-PD = 15; posterior ventral-PV = 5) differed significantly between the four anatomical quadrants (Kruskal-Wallis test; = 0.0001). The prevalence of plerocercoid larvae in European perch from Lake Iseo has long been investigated, but without an appropriate sampling design. With the present study, a broader analysis in spatial distribution has been added to the existing literature, revealing new information about distribution and occurrence in Lake Iseo, with new data that will be useful for health authorities and future studies.
Topics: Animals; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Fish Diseases; Humans; Italy; Lakes
PubMed: 32674519
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17145070