Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by a tapeworm in its juvenile and larval stages. It can be contracted by drinking contaminated water or eating infected animal flesh. Symptoms include skin sores or lumps, and in severe cases, it can migrate to other areas of the body such as the brain or eyes. Surgical removal of the worms is the best treatment. It is most common in East and Southeast Asia but has been reported on every continent in the world.
Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by a spargano. This is a tapeworm in its juvenile and larval stages of development, specifically the plerocercoid larval stage. The tapeworm involved in this condition comes from the genus Spirometra, which is in the family Diphyllobothriidae. The condition is sometimes referred to as spirometrosis or sparganum infection. Another term for the condition, larval diphyllobothriasis, is obsolete and no longer in use.
In 1882, Scottish physician Sir Patrick Manson was the first to describe sparganosis. A tapeworm that causes the condition, Spirometra masoni, is named after him. A second tapeworm, discovered in 1935, Spirometra mansonoides, was also named in his honor. There is a third species, Spirometra proliferum, which can reproduce and multiply in the body, although this particular strain is extremely rare.
The most common way to get sparganosis is to drink contaminated water. The condition can also be contracted from eating the flesh of an infected animal, usually a frog or snake. Other hosts of sparganum include mammals such as cats and dogs.
Sparganosis manifests itself as a skin sore or lump, the result of the tapeworm that goes under the skin to subcutaneous tissue. The infected tissue then becomes fibrous and inflammation typically occurs. In some cases, sparganum can migrate to other areas of the body. For example, the larva can travel to be brain, which leads to cerebral sparganosis. When it travels to the eyes, the condition is known as ocular sparganosis.
East and Southeast Asia are particularly affected by sparganosis. Countries where it frequently occurs include China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Ocular sparganosis is particularly severe in Vietnam and China. The condition is also common in the eastern region of Africa. It is much rarer in European countries and the United States. Cases of the disease, however, have been reported on every continent in the world.
Doctors typically diagnose sparganosis when they remove the spargan from a patient’s tissue. A computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can reveal brain cases. The best treatment for the condition is surgical removal of the worms.
Some doctors may prescribe praziquantel, which goes under the brand name Biltricide; and mebendazole, which lists Vermox among its brand names. Praziquantel is an anthelmintic, which means it expels flatworms. Mebendazole is a benzimidazole drug that has been used for various parasitic worms. These drugs, however, have only limited success. If left untreated, sparganosis can cause death, especially when it comes to the species Spirometra proliferum.
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