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J Radiol Case Rep 2018 Aug 31;12(8):1-11. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Hospital, Singapore.

The tunnel sign has been described as a specific feature of cerebral sparganosis. We present a case of a 55-year-old gentleman found to have cerebral melioidosis and with initial imaging mimicking the appearance of sparganosis. This suggests that the tunnel sign in brain abscesses may be specific for infection by Burkholderia Pseudomallei, Spirometra Mansoni or Listeria Monocytogenes. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 01 14;13(1):e0007018. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Background: Cerebral sparganosis is the most serious complication of human sparganosis. Currently, there is no standard for the treatment of inoperable patients. Conventional-dose praziquantel therapy is the most reported treatment. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2018 Oct 21;33(44):e273. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Molecular Parasitology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.

Background: Sparganosis is a larval cestodiasis caused by the plerocercoid of spp. Since the first description of human sparganosis in 1924, several hundred cases have been reported in Korea. However, systematic approaches for literature surveys of Korean sparganosis have seldom appeared. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 10 22;12(10):e0006918. Epub 2018 Oct 22.

Department of Neurology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.

Background: Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by the plerocercoid larvae of Spirometra mansoni in East and Southeast Asia. The plerocercoid larvae sometimes invade the encephalon, resulting in severe cerebral sparganosis. Surgical removal of the larvae is considered a standard therapy for cerebral sparganosis. Read More

Parasitol Res 2018 Nov 15;117(11):3659-3662. Epub 2018 Sep 15.

Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230, Białowieża, Poland.

Sparganosis is a zoonosis caused by the spargana (larvae) of Spirometra sp. (Diphyllobothriidae). Reptiles are particularly important vectors for the transmission of this parasite in Asia; however, their role in sparganosis spread in European wildlife is unrecognized. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2018 Sep 14;19:1090-1095. Epub 2018 Sep 14.

Department of Surgery, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.

BACKGROUND Spinal sparganosis and racemose (grape-like) neurocysticercosis are rare diseases. Co-infection with spinal sparganosis and racemose neurocysticercosis has never been reported in the English-language literature. CASE REPORT A 41-year-old male presented after having experienced left hip pain with radiation to the leg, progressive weakness and numbness of the left leg, and difficulty urinating for 4 years, all of which was caused by spinal sparganosis. Read More

Gastroenterology 2018 12 7;155(6):e6-e7. Epub 2018 Sep 7.

Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 08;24(8)

We report 958 cases of cestodiasis occurring in Japan during 2001-2016. The predominant pathogen was Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense tapeworm (n = 825), which caused 86.1% of all cases. Read More

Korean J Parasitol 2018 Jun 30;56(3):295-300. Epub 2018 Jun 30.

Department of Parasitology, Parasite Research Center and Parasite Resource Bank, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine, Cheongju 28644, Korea.

Human sparganosis was diagnosed by morphological and genetic analyses in Korea. The complete mitochondrial genomes of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei and S. decipiens isolated in Korea have been recorded. Read More

Aerosp Med Hum Perform 2018 May;89(5):473-477

Background: Diphyllobothriasis is estimated to afflict 10-20 million people worldwide; however, this is the first case reported in a United States military aviator. Among the largest parasites of humans, the "fish tapeworm" grows from 2-15 m in length, can live >20 yr in the intestines, and is contracted through consumption of uncooked, unfrozen freshwater or anadromous fish species.

Case Report: A 32-yr-old male F-22 pilot presented with mild stomach cramping, bloating, nausea, and intermittent loose stools. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 02 20;12(2):e0006297. Epub 2018 Feb 20.

Disease Control and Prevention Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Tapeworm (cestode) infections occur worldwide even in developed countries and globalization has further complicated the epidemiology of such infections. Nonetheless, recent epidemiological data on cestode infections are limited. Our objectives were to elucidate the clinical characteristics and epidemiology of diphyllobothriosis and taeniosis in Tokyo, Japan. Read More

BMC Ophthalmol 2018 Jan 22;18(1):13. Epub 2018 Jan 22.

Eye Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, No. 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, People's Republic of China.

Background: Sparganosis is one of the neglected but important food-borne parasitic zoonoses, with higher prevalence in Asian countries. The infection is commonly located in the subcutaneous tissue, brain, breast, and lung, but fewer reported infections involve the eye. Because the majority of patients with sparganosis are adults, it is likely to be missed in children. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2017 10 10;17(1):669. Epub 2017 Oct 10.

Department of Parasitology, Vietnam Military Medical University (VMMU), Hanoi, Vietnam.

Background: Tapeworms of the genus Spirometra include species whose larval stages can infect humans, causing a disease called sparganosis. Cases of human infection with adult worms are very rare and have been reported in Korea and China. Here we report the first case of human infection with an adult of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei in Vietnam. Read More

Korean J Parasitol 2017 Aug 31;55(4):425-428. Epub 2017 Aug 31.

Graduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.

Human diphyllobothriasis is a parasitic disease caused by ingestion of larvae (plerocercoids) in raw or undercooked fish and commonly found in temperate areas. Rare cases were reported in tropical or subtropical areas especially in children. The first documented case of pediatric diphyllobothriasis in Taiwan had been reported 11 years ago. Read More

Korean J Parasitol 2017 Aug 31;55(4):421-424. Epub 2017 Aug 31.

Department of Surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul 06591, Korea.

Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by the sparganum, the plercercoid of the genus Spirometra. The preoperative diagnosis of breast sparganosis is difficult in most cases because it is a rare parasitic infection less than 2% of all cases. We report a 62-year-old woman case of breast sparganosis that were confirmed by surgical removal of worms from the right breast. Read More

Korean J Parasitol 2017 Jun 30;55(3):319-325. Epub 2017 Jun 30.

National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Public Health; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200025, China.

We described 4 human infection cases of zoonotic fish-tapeworm, , identified with morphological and molecular characters and briefly reviewed Chinese cases in consideration of it as an emerging parasitic disease in China. The scolex and mature and gravid proglottids of some cases were seen, a rosette-shaped uterus was observed in the middle of the mature and gravid proglottids, and the diphyllobothriid eggs were yellowish-brown in color and displayed a small knob or abopercular protuberance on the opposite end of a lid-like opening. The average size of the eggs was recorded as 62-6742-45 μm. Read More

Parasitol Int 2017 Oct 22;66(5):573-578. Epub 2017 Jun 22.

Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.

We first constructed and characterized the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequence of Diphyllobothrium stemmacephalum, the type species of genus Diphyllobothrium, using next generation sequencing (NGS). The mitogenome of D. stemmacephalum was 13,716bp, including 12 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and 2 longer intergenic non-coding regions, and has features common to mitogenomes of other cestodes. Read More

Gastrointest Endosc 2017 12 8;86(6):1185-1186. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

Digestive Disease Institute, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.

J Korean Med Sci 2017 Jul;32(7):1118-1123

Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

It is clinically important to differentiate tissue-invading helminthiasis. The purpose of this study was to assess the specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody positive rates for clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, cysticercosis, and sparganosis 4 helminthiases from 1996 to 2006 using multi-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in Korea. Results of 6,017 samples, which were referred to our institute for serodiagnosis, were analyzed. Read More

Infect Dis Poverty 2017 May 4;6(1):58. Epub 2017 May 4.

National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China.

A 29-year-old farmer from central China was sent into the Emergency Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. He had a 15-day history of persistent high fever, abdominal distention and pain. The patient was clinically diagnosed as appendicitis and peritonitis, and treated with antibiotics in a local hospital, did not improve. Read More

PLoS One 2017 14;12(4):e0175646. Epub 2017 Apr 14.

Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú.

Parasitic infections are generally diagnosed by professionals trained to recognize the morphological characteristics of the eggs in microscopic images of fecal smears. However, this laboratory diagnosis requires medical specialists which are lacking in many of the areas where these infections are most prevalent. In response to this public health issue, we developed a software based on pattern recognition analysis from microscopi digital images of fecal smears, capable of automatically recognizing and diagnosing common human intestinal parasites. Read More

J Craniofac Surg 2017 Jun;28(4):1081-1083

*Oral and Maxillofacial Microvascular Reconstruction LAB, Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital, Sunyani, Ghana †Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul ‡Department of Oral Pathology, College of Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Korea.

Human sparganosis is a parasite infection caused by the larva of a tapeworm of the genus Spirometra. Ocular, central nervous system, auricular, pulmonary, intraosseous, intraperitoneal, and subcutaneous manifestations of this infection in the neck or inguinal region have been described.The authors report the rare occurrence of cutaneous forehead sparganosis of a 19-year-old male who presented with a soft subcutaneous mass in the forehead, along with a related literature review. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2017 04;23(4):665-668

Human sparganosis is a foodborne zoonosis endemic in Asia. We report a series of 9 histologically confirmed human sparganosis cases in Hong Kong, China. All parasites were retrospectively identified as Spirometra erinaceieuropaei. Read More

World Neurosurg 2017 Jun 16;102:696.e13-696.e16. Epub 2017 Mar 16.

Department of Neurosurgery, Memfys Hospital for Neurosurgery, Enugu, Nigeria.

Background: Cerebral sparganosis is a rare zoonotic infestation that often mimics glioma and metastatic tumors.

Case Description: A 71-year-old man presented with disturbing dysarthria. Initial neuroimages were suggestive of glioma. Read More

J Clin Microbiol 2017 02;55(2):658-659

Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand

J Clin Microbiol 2017 02;55(2):352-355

Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand

Med Parazitol (Mosk) 2017 Jan;1(1):52-59

The paper analyzes the etiology of diphyllobothriasis pathogens and their distribution in the world. It estimates the infection rate of the population with tapeworms, the value of different fish species and procedures for their cooking as factors for transmission of Diphyllobothrium to the population and the risk for infection with tapeworms through infected foods. Epidemiological surveillance measures in different (synanthropic and natural) foci of diphyllobothriasis and with various types of pathogens are considered. Read More

Parasitol Int 2017 Apr 24;66(2):116-118. Epub 2016 Dec 24.

Department of Microbiology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan. Electronic address:

Methods to maintain the life cycle of pathogenic organisms become powerful tools for studying molecular and cellular bases of infectious diseases. Spirometra erinaceieuropaei is a parasitic tapeworm that causes sparganosis in humans. Because S. Read More

Braz J Infect Dis 2017 May - Jun;21(3):355-356. Epub 2016 Dec 23.

Departamento de Morfología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.

Acta Trop 2017 Mar 22;167:99-107. Epub 2016 Dec 22.

Department of Molecular and Cellular Parasitology, Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan; Department of Parasitology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0374, Japan. Electronic address:

Sparganosis in humans caused by the plerocercoid larvae of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei is found worldwide, especially in Eastern Asia and the Far East. Previous studies have suggested that dissolution of plerocercoid body, plerocercoid invasion of host tissue, and migration are important processes for sparganosis progression. However, the mechanisms underlying these processes have yet to be determined. Read More

Korean J Parasitol 2016 Oct 31;54(5):617-623. Epub 2016 Oct 31.

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation.

An excavation of the Vesakoyakha II-IV and Nyamboyto I burial grounds was conducted during the 2014 field season, and soil samples from intact burials dating from the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively, were analyzed to determine interactions between parasites and host/vectors. Considering the discovery of sp. and sp. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2016 Dec 21;53:41-45. Epub 2016 Oct 21.

Department of Pathogenic Biology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China. Electronic address:

Background: Sparganosis is an important parasitic disease in Guangzhou and is mainly acquired through the consumption of frog meat or contact with fresh frogs infected by larval stages (spargana) of the tapeworm species Spirometra mansoni.

Methods: In this study, the prevalence of intestinal S. mansoni infections (with adult parasites) in dogs and cats and of extraintestinal S. Read More

J Fish Dis 2017 Jul 13;40(7):863-871. Epub 2016 Oct 13.

Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

Some fish parasites constitute severe management problems as they may cause mortality of their fish host or are important zoonoses of humans. Parasite assessments are therefore critical to keep track of infections. If conventional sampling techniques can be simplified, parasite assessments might be easier to obtain, less time-consuming and more extensive. Read More

J Neuroradiol 2016 Dec 7;43(6):378-383. Epub 2016 Oct 7.

Department of Radiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139, Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, PR China. Electronic address:

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of cerebral sparganosis to improve the accuracy of diagnosing cerebral sparganosis with medical imaging modalities.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study of CT and MRI features of 12 patients with cerebral sparganosis. A comparative analysis between imaging findings, and intraoperative and postoperative pathological findings was performed. Read More

J Helminthol 2017 Sep 15;91(5):642-646. Epub 2016 Sep 15.

Division of Malaria and Parasitic Diseases,Center for Immunology and Pathology, National Research Institute of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Osong, 28159,Republic of Korea.

Sparganosis is one of the top three tissue-dwelling heterologous helminthic diseases, along with cysticercosis and paragonimiasis, in Korea. Due to a lack of effective early diagnosis and treatment methods, this parasitic disease is regarded as a public health threat. This study evaluated reactivity, against sparganum extracts, of sera from inhabitants of Cheorwon-gun, Goseong-gun and Ongjin-gun in Korea. Read More

Parazitologiia 2016 Sep-Oct;50(5):365-75

Hematological and plasma biochemical analyses and parasitological detection were carried out in the herring gull Larus argentatus. Hematological and plasma biochemical parameters in uninfected gulls and gulls infected by Diphyllobothrium dendriticum (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) were compared. Hemoglobin content and numbers of erythrocytes were reduced; numbers of leukocytes and sorption capacity of erythrocytes were improved in blood of the infected herring gulls. Read More

Vet Parasitol 2016 Aug 2;227:115-7. Epub 2016 Aug 2.

Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Waszkiewicza 1, 17-230, Białowieża, Poland.

From February to March 2016 we found plerocercoids of Spirometra sp. in four wild boar hunted in Białowieża Primeval Forest, north-eastern Poland. Plerocercoids were located subcutaneously and in muscle tissue. Read More

Int J Food Microbiol 2016 Oct 27;235:109-12. Epub 2016 Jun 27.

Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy.

In recent years there has been a re-emergence of diphyllobothriasis by Diphyllobothrium latum (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) in Italy, France and Switzerland, where in the past this fish-borne zoonosis was widespread and then virtually disappeared. A change in eating habits such as the consumption of raw/undercooked freshwater fish, has led to an increased risk for consumers of ingesting infective larvae of D. latum. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2016 Oct 1;95(4):874-876. Epub 2016 Aug 1.

Tropical Infectious Disease Research and Education Center (TIDREC), Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In this study, the seroprevalence of sparganosis and its relationship with sociodemographic factors in northern Tanzania have been assessed. A total of 216 serum samples from two rural districts, Monduli and Babati, were tested for sparganosis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The seroprevalence of anti-sparganum IgG antibodies was 62. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2016 08;22(8):1510-2

Korean J Parasitol 2016 Jun 30;54(3):363-8. Epub 2016 Jun 30.

Nakdong River Integrated Operations Center, Korea Water Resources Corporation, Busan 49300, Korea.

We describe here the mass death of predatory carp, Chanodichthys erythropterus, in Korea induced by plerocercoid larvae of Ligula intestinalis as a result of host manipulation. The carcasses of fish with ligulid larvae were first found in the river-edge areas of Chilgok-bo in Nakdong-gang (River), Korea at early February 2016. This ecological phenomena also occurred in the adjacent areas of 3 dams of Nakdong-gang, i. Read More

Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol 2016 Jul(4):389-395

We studied the activities both of digestive enzymes in the small intestine of the herring gull (Larus argentatus) and a tapeworm Diphyllobothrium dendriticum (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) residing in the intestine. It was found that D. dendriticum infects the medial section of the small intestine of the herring gull. Read More

Parasitol Int 2016 Oct 22;65(5 Pt A):459-62. Epub 2016 Jun 22.

Laboratory of Environmental Biology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan. Electronic address:

Diphyllobothrium hottai Yazaki, Fukumoto & Abe, 1988 was described based on the morphology of adult worms recovered from golden hamsters that had been experimentally infected with plerocercoids obtained from Japanese surf smelts (Hypomesus pretiosus japonicus) and olive rainbow smelts (Osmerus eperlanus mordax). Although D. hottai was considered to be distinct from Diphyllobothrium ditremum (Creplin, 1825), their taxonomic relationship requires further clarification. Read More

Parasitol Int 2016 Oct 4;65(5 Pt A):412-21. Epub 2016 Jun 4.

Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.

Several tapeworm species in the genus Diphyllobothrium Cobbold, 1858 have uncertain taxonomic positions, leading to taxonomic confusion as well as misdiagnosis of infections. Taxonomic revision based on DNA sequence analysis is considered necessary to resolve the taxonomy of several cases, including that between Diphyllobothrium stemmacephalum, the type species of the genus, and Diphyllobothrium yonagoense. Diphyllobothrium yonagoense was synonymized with D. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016 05 25;10(5):e0004721. Epub 2016 May 25.

Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences & Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

Background: Tapeworms of the order Diphyllobothriidea are parasites of tetrapods and several species may infect man and cause neglected human disease called diphyllobothriosis. Identification of human-infecting diphyllobothriid cestodes is difficult because of their morphological uniformity, which concerns also their eggs in stool samples.

Methods: In the present study, we analysed by far the largest dataset of more than 2,000 eggs of 8 species of diphyllobothriid cestodes that may infect humans, including the most frequent human parasites Diphyllobothrium latum, D. Read More

World J Gastroenterol 2016 May;22(19):4776-80

Joong Keun Kim, Dong Hoon Baek, Bong Eun Lee, Gwang Ha Kim, Geun Am Song, Division of Gastroenterology, Departments of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, 305 Gudeok-ro, Seo-gu, Busan 602-739, South Korea.

Human sparganosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by infection with the tapeworm Sparganum, the migrating plerocercoid (second stage) larva of Spirometra species. Sparganosis usually involves subcutaneous tissues and/or muscles of various parts of the body, but involvement of other sites such as the brain, eye, peritoneopleural cavity, urinary track, scrotum, and abdominal viscera has also been documented. Infections caused by sparganum have a worldwide distribution but are most common in Southeast Asia such as China, Japan, and South Korea. Read More

J Fish Dis 2016 Nov 25;39(11):1313-1323. Epub 2016 Apr 25.

Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

Subarctic populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta) are often heavily infected with cestodes of the genus Diphyllobothrium, assumedly because of their piscivorous behaviour. This study explores possible associations between availability of fish prey and Diphyllobothrium spp. infections in lacustrine trout populations. Read More

JAMA Dermatol 2016 07;152(7):831-2

Chapel Hill Dermatology, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Rev Chilena Infectol 2016 Feb;33(1):97