Title
A waterborn zoonotic helminthiase in an Italian diver: A case report of a cutaneous sparganum infection and a review of european cases
Date Issued
01 December 2015
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Bracaglia G.
Ranno S.
Mancinelli L.
Santoro M.
Cerroni L.
Massone C.
Sangueza O.
Diociaiuti A.
Nicastri E.
Muraca M.
El Hachem M.
Boldrini R.
Callea F.
Putignani L.
Publisher(s)
Maney Publishing
Abstract
Many waterborne helminthes are opportunistic parasites that can travel directly from animals to man and may contain forms capable of penetrating the skin. Among these, Sparganum is the pseudophyllidean tapeworm that belongs to the genus Spirometra, which is responsible for parasitic zoonosis; it is rarely detected in Europe and is caused by the plerocercoid infective larva. Thus far, only six cases of cutaneous and ocular sparganosis have been reported in Europe; two and four cases have occurred in France and Italy, respectively. Herein, we describe a new case of sparganosis in Italy that affected a male diver who presented to the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital of Rome. The patient’s skin biopsy was submitted to the Parasitology department who, in consultation with Pathology, concluded that the morphologic and microscopic findings were those of Sparganum spp. larvae. The patient recovered following a single dose of 600 mg praziquantel.
Start page
383
End page
386
Volume
109
Issue
8
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencia veterinaria
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84959336453
PubMed ID
Source
Pathogens and Global Health
ISSN of the container
20477724
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus