Abstract
Sparganosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the cestode larva, Spargana of the genus Spirometra. The condition has been documented from China, Korea, Thailand, and Japan. Dogs and cats are the definitive hosts. Two intermediate hosts are involved in the life cycle of the parasite. Cyclopsis the first intermediate host, reptiles and birds are the second intermediate hosts. Humans are the paratenic hosts. Humans acquire infection by drinking contaminated water, ingestion of raw or undercooked snakes and frogs infected with L3 larva which can migrate to various organs like eyes, CNS, subcutaneous tissue, breast, abdominal and urogenital viscera. Although, the condition is frequently misdiagnosed, surgical excision and removal and identification of the worm helps in the diagnosis. The molecular techniques are employed to confirm the diagnosis and to identify the species. Treatment is by surgical removal of the worm, and therapy by anthelminthic such as praziquantel. Sparganosis is prevented by avoiding the unwanted practice of eating undercooked food and drinking contaminated water.
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Further Readings
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Case Study
Case Study
A 33-year-old woman came with a history of painful migratory swelling over the left thigh for the past 6 months. Erythema was seen around the swelling. Initially it was diagnosed as a soft tissue tumour. Later MRI revealed several elongated tubular tracts in the medial aspect of the left thigh from which a long, wrinkled, whitish worm was removed. The diagnosis was made by histopathological examination as Spirometra Spp.
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What are the modes of transmission of the infection in humans?
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What are the measures necessary to prevent infection?
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How to make a pre-operative diagnosis of sparganosis?
Research Questions
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How to elucidate the pathogenesis and virulence factors of Spirometra Spp. which remains largely unknown?
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What medical treatment may be useful which can obviate the need for surgery?
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Vanathy, K. (2022). Sparganosis. In: Parija, S.C., Chaudhury, A. (eds) Textbook of Parasitic Zoonoses. Microbial Zoonoses. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7204-0_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7204-0_34
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