Sparganosis is a parasitic infestation that is caused by the sparganum, a plerocercoid larva of the tapeworm belonging to the genus Spirometra. While a carnivorous mammal such as a dog or cat is the final host, humans are an intermediate host. Humans accidentally acquire the sparganum either by drinking contaminated water with infected cyclops or by eating raw frogs and snakes (1). The sparganu...

The carbohydrate moieties of larval sparganum proteins in two different species, the snakes, Elaphe rufodorsata, the Balb/c mouse and those of the adult worm, Spirometra erinacei, were compared using five different lectins including GNA, SNA, MAA, PNA and DSA. The GNA positive 53 kDa molecule, which is excretory-secretory protease in the sparganum from the snake showed a stage specific and deve...

We report the first record of parasitic larval tapeworms of the genus Spirometra (sparganum) in the frog Hypsiboas pulchellus. A total of 139 frogs were collected in Uruguay, and two of them presented a single sparganum (1.4%). One sparganum was found free into the coelomic cavity, and the other was located under the skin and in the coelomic cavity. The relevance of this finding in Uruguayan am...

BACKGROUND Sparganosis is caused by the invasion of Spirometra sparganum into various tissues/organs. Subcutaneous sparganosis can be diagnosed by biopsy, while visceral/cerebral sparganosis is not easy to be diagnosed. The diagnosis depends largely on the detection of specific anti-sparganum antibodies. The specificity of the ELISA could be increased by using S. mansoni sparganum excretory-sec...

We purified specific 31/36 kDa antigenic molecules from sparganum in different intermediate hosts (snakes and mice) and analyzed their monosaccharide compositions. Compositional analysis showed that glucose and mannose concentrations were 2-3 fold higher in the 31/36 kDa molecule purified from snakes than those from mice. This result implies that antigenic glycoproteins of sparganum from snakes...

Cerebral sparganosis is a rare parasitic disease of the central nervous system that is caused by sparganum. Cerebral sparganosis occurs worldwide, but it is found more frequently in China, Japan, and Southeastern Asia (12). Sparganum, the second-stage larva of Spirometra mansoni, can produce chronic active inflammation through slow migration in the brain (1). They can also parasitize other site...

The life-span of the sparganum in humans is not exactly known, but it may survive longer than 5 years in some patients. We experienced a case infected with a sparganum that is presumed to have lived for 20 years in a patient's leg. The patient was a 60-year-old woman, and she was admitted to a hospital due to ankle pain that was aggravated on dorsiflexion. She had noticed a mass on her knee som...

The mature domain of a cysteine protease of Spirometra erinacei plerocercoid larva (i.e., sparganum) was expressed in Escherichia coli, and its value as an antigen for the serodiagnosis of sparganosis was investigated. The recombinant protein (rSepCp-1) has the molecular weight of 23.4 kDa, and strongly reacted with the sparganum positive human or mice sera but not with negative sera by immunob...

PURPOSE To present a case of ocular sparoganosis presenting as itching sensation. METHODS A 60-year-old woman presented for removal of an itchy subconjunctival mass in her left eye. Her ocular findings were normal, except for a subconjunctival mass (1.5 x 1.5 mm). RESULTS A parasite excised from the subconjunctival mass was identified as a sparganum, by microscopic examination after hematox...

background: sparganosis is caused by the invasion of spirometra sparganum into various tissues/organs. subcutaneous sparganosis can be diagnosed by biopsy , while visceral/cerebral sparganosis is not easy to be diagnosed. the diagnosis de-pends largely on the detection of specific anti-sparganum antibodies. t he specific-ity of the elisa could be increased by using s. mansoni sparganum excretor...