Case Report: Management of Dead Intraocular Helminth Parasites in Asymptomatic Patients.

We report four asymptomatic patients from Nepal with an incidental finding of a dead intraocular helminth parasite on ophthalmological routine examination. Because the patients were asymptomatic and the intraocular helminth parasites dead without noted pathology present, it was decided to abstain from surgical removal and pursue a watch-and-wait strategy. The clinical follow-up of the four patients over two years was uneventful and showed no complications. We conclude that dead intraocular helminth parasites in asymptomatic patients without apparent pathology do not require surgical removal.

[Ocular infestation by plerocercoid of Spirometra mansonoides: first case report in Peru]. / Infestación ocular por plerocercoide de Spirometra mansonoides: primer reporte en el Perú.

Plerocercoidosis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by plerocercoid larvae of the genus Spirometra. The larvae migrate through the intestinal wall tissue, by subcutaneous route and can reach different areas of the body like the head, the brain and the eye socket. A case is reported of a 45 year-old man from the Peruvian Amazon with burning sensation associated with conjunctival edema and hemorrhage in the outer eye border of the right eye for eleven months. A localized worm in the right orbital cavity was observed, which was extracted. Morphological and histopathological studies identified it as Spirometra mansonoides localized in the eye, which is the first case reported in Peru.

Helminths and helminthoses in Central Europe: diseases caused by cestodes (tapeworms).

The second part of the overview "Helminths and helminthoses in Central Europe" is dedicated to the cestodes (tapeworms) and the diseases caused by cestodes. The overview comprises the spectrum of the most relevant species, describes their incidence, geographic distribution and the most important clinical symptoms and highlights the possibilities of diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of cestode-caused diseases.

Culinary delights and travel? A review of zoonotic cestodiases and metacestodiases.

Due to increased globalization, food-borne parasitic infections are becoming more prevalent worldwide, including in countries where these parasites and parasitic diseases had previously been well controlled or eradicated. Improved sanitation, health education, and establishment of appropriate food safety mechanisms can go a long way towards the control of many these infections. However, food-borne parasitic infections are still common diseases in developing countries, especially in rural areas. As many of today's travelers are looking to explore more distant locations and partake in the local cuisine, they may be at greater risk of acquiring a food-borne parasitic infection, including those caused by a number of adult and larval tapeworms. This review discusses fish and meat-borne tapeworms and zoonotic metacestodiases of public health importance to both developing and developed countries, with a focus on infection prevention in travelers.

Other cestodes: sparganosis, coenurosis and Taenia crassiceps cysticercosis.

Many cestodes are capable of invading the central nervous system (CNS), and several are highly prevalent in the developing world. Neurocysticercosis due to Taenia solium and echinococcosis due to Echinoccocus granulosus are two of the most common parasitic infections affecting humans, but other less well-known parasites can also infect the nervous system. Coenurosis, caused by Taenia spp. such as T. multiceps, T. serialis, or T. brauni; sparganosis, caused by Spirometra spp., and neurocysticercosis caused by T. crassiceps are three less frequent zoonotic conditions that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with CNS infection - especially if they have lived in or traveled through areas where these infections are endemic. Diagnosis of these infections is typically made through a combination of serological testing, histopathology, and neuroimaging.

Survival analysis of dogs diagnosed with canine peritoneal larval cestodiasis (Mesocestoides spp.).

Canine peritoneal larval cestodiasis (CPLC) is a poorly understood disease of dogs caused by asexual multiplication of larval Mesocestoides spp. tapeworms. In this study, we examined the descriptive statistics and survival characteristics of 60 dogs diagnosed with CPLC from 1989 to 2009. Clinically affected dogs presented with ascites (60%), anorexia/weight loss (42%), vomiting (23%), diarrhea (9%) and tachypnea (9%), while subclinical infections (22%) were incidentally detected, typically during ovariohysterectomy or neuter. Survival at 6 months and 1 year post-diagnosis were 72.3% and 60.5%, respectively, and survival was not affected by sex or age. Using Cox proportional hazard analyses, we determined that the most significant factors influencing survival were the severity of clinical signs at the time of diagnosis and application of an aggressive treatment strategy after diagnosis. Dogs that were not treated aggressively were >5 times more likely to die than dogs that were treated with a combination of surgery/lavage and high doses of fenbendazole.

Teníase e cisticercose: breve revisão dos aspectos gerais / Teniasis and cysticercosis: review and general aspects

O presente artigo procura enfatizar os aspectos mais importantes da teníase - epidemiológicos, etiológicos, imunopatológicos, clínicos, terapêuticos e de prevenção - e helmintose causada por cestódeos do gênero Taenia - Taenia solium e Taenia saginata - ambos os parasitos que têm o homem como hospedeiro definitivo. São revistas, também, algumas particularidades da cisticercose, complicação causada pela infecção por formas larvares de T. solium.

Intestinal cestodes.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes the biology, clinical aspects, diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology for the common and rarer (zoonotic) intestinal cestodes of humans. RECENT FINDINGS: Mass drug application to eliminate Taenia solium carriers may have only temporary effects on cysticercosis transmission. At least two major world genotypes of T. solium have been identified and greater genetic heterogeneity may occur at the regional level. A new human taeniid T. asiatica has been confirmed which occurs sympatrically with T. saginata and T. solium in Southeast Asia. Coproantigen and PCR tests for Taenia spp. have greatly improved diagnostic efficacy and epidemiological studies. There appears to be an increase in human diphyllobothriasis in Europe, Japan and the Americas. SUMMARY: Human intestinal cestode infections are globally primarily caused by species in three genera: Taenia, Hymenolepis or Diphyllobothrium. Sporadic zoonotic infections caused by nontaeniids are usually food-borne or due to accidental ingestion of invertebrate hosts. Intestinal cestode infections generally result in only mild symptoms characterized chiefly by abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea. Most human intestinal cestode infections can be treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel or niclosamide.

Inermicapsifer madagascarensis: a propósito de 17 casos / Inermicapsifer madagascarensis: based on 17 cases

Se presentan 17 casos de niños con edades que fluctuaron entre 4 meses y 4 años, parasitados por Inermicapsifer madagascariensis, en el período comprendido entre Enero del 2000 y Octubre del 2005, los cuales procedían de siete municipios de Camagüey (provincia de la región oriental de Cuba), todos pertenecientes a áreas urbanas, con ausencia de síntomas gastrointestinales y/o generales, que comenzaron a expulsar en el 100% de los casos en sus heces, partículas idénticas a “granos de arroz” (proglótides o fragmentos de estróbilos), cuyo diagnóstico y seguimiento se realizó en el Laboratorio de Parasitología del Centro Provincial de Higiene, Epidemiología y Microbiología de Camagüey. La edad promedio fue de 1,8 años, no hubo distinción en cuanto al sexo, siendo el 88,2% de raza blanca, el 58,82% tenia el pelo de color claro y el 70,6% los ojos pardos; la combinación de pelo y ojos de color claro se manifestó en un 64,7% de los pacientes. El 41,2% asistían a instituciones infantiles, teniendo el 58,8% como mascota un perro y el 5,8% la combinación perro-gato. Todos los casos fueron tratados con Praziquantel, taenicida de producción nacional, evolucionando satisfactoriamente.

Cestode parasites: application of in vivo and in vitro models for studies on the host-parasite relationship.

Cestode worms, commonly also known as 'flat' worms or tapeworms, are an important class of endoparasitic organisms. In order to complete their life cycle, they infect intermediate and definitive hosts in succession, through oral ingestion of eggs or larvae, respectively. Serious disease in humans or other mammalian hosts is mostly caused by the larval stages. Echinococcus spp. and Taenia spp. have been extensively investigated in the laboratory due to the fact that they represent important veterinary medical challenges and also cause grave diseases in humans. In contrast, Hymenolepis spp. and Mesocestoides spp. infections are relatively rare in humans, but these parasites have been extensively studied because their life cycle stages can be easily cultured in vitro, and can also be conveniently maintained in laboratory animal hosts. Thus they are more easily experimentally accessible, and represent important models for investigating the various aspects of cestode biology. This review will focus on in vitro and in vivo models which have been developed for studies on the host-parasite relationship during infection with Echinococcus, Taenia, Hymenolepis, Mesocestoides and Spirometra, and will cover the use of these models to investigate the morphology and ultrastructure of respective genera, the immunological relationship with the host and the development of vaccination approaches, as well as applications of these models for studies on parasite metabolism, physiology and gene expression. In addition, the use of these models in the development of chemotherapeutic measures against cestode infections is reviewed.

Eosinophilia and helminthic infections.

Among microbial agents, helminths are the most common cause of eosinophilia. An approach to the evaluation of a patient with eosinophilia is outlined, with particular emphasis on clues in the history, examination and routine laboratory data that can help with the diagnosis. Multiple helminthic infections have been associated with eosinophilia, and the characteristic modes of spread, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests and therapeutic considerations of these infections are discussed.

Bertiellosis in man: a review of cases

En este trabajo se hace una arevision de los casos humanos parasitados por Bertiella mucronata y Bertiella studeri (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae), que incluye la casuistica internacional y bibliografia actualizada. Se analizan varios aspectos de esta zoonosis como son: taxonomia, ciclo biologico, epidemiologia, patologia, diagnostico, control, prevencion y terapeutica. Se discuten aspectos relacionados con la potencialidad zoonotica creciente de esta parasitosis

Bertiellosis in man: a review of cases.

The presence of Bertiella mucronata and Bertiella studeri (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) in humans is reviewed, and international infection rates and a bibliography included. Taxonomic, biological, epidemiological, pathological, diagnostic, control, prevention and therapeutic aspects of the zoonosis are analyzed, and the increase in zoonotic potentiality of the parasitosis is discussed.

Tratamiento de la neurocisticercosis con albendazol: estudio prospectivo / Treatment of neurocysticercosis with albendazole: prospective study

Para investigar el efecto del albenzaxol sobre la neurocisticercosis se ha realizado un estudio prospectivo en 40 pacientes con tal diagnóstico. El diagnóstico fue establecido clínicamente con pruebas serológicas y estudio tomográfico cerebral. Se administró el albendazol en dosis de 15 mg/Kg de peso durante ocho días. Tres meses después se evaluó el resultado terapéutico, repitiéndo el examen clínico y la tomografía. Los efectos favorables más importantes fueron la desaparición de las crisis epilépticas en 73.9 por ciento de los pacientes, la desaparición o calcificación de quistes viables en el parénquima cerebral en 53 por ciento de enfermos y la reducción mayor a 50 por ciento de similares quistes en 18 por ciento de pacientes. Adicionalmente, en este trabajo se destacan las características clínicas de los pacientes con neurocisticercosis estudiados y se recomienda el uso de albondazol en forma precoz o de algún otro antiparasitario de igual o mayor eficacia, con el fin de evitar las graves e irreversibles consecuencias asociadas a la cronicidad de la afección.

Infección pr Inermicapsifer madagascariensis (Davaine, 1870); Baerm 1956. Presentación de 2 casos / Infection due to Inermicapsifer madagascariensis (Davaine, 1870); Baer 1956. Report of 2 cases

Se presentan 2 pacientes del sexo femenino y de la raza blanca, de 11 meses y 1 año de edad, respectivamente, con parasitismo intestinal por Inermicapsifer madagascariensis (Inermicapsifer cubensis) atendidas en la consulta externa de Pediatría del Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kourí" durante los últimos 3 años. Ambas pacientes, con historia de expulsar parásitos por el ano, que no curaban con los diversos tratamientos utilizados para taeniasis, fueron remitidas a este cuadro donde se hizo el diagnóstico de Inermicapsifer madagascariensis y se les aplicó el tratamiento específico con Praziquantel, desapareciendo el parasitismo(AU)

[Tapeworms, a problem in equine practice?]. / Bandwürmer, ein Problem in der Pferdepraxis?

This paper gives a survey on biology and ecology of equine tapeworms as well as on pathogenesis, clinics, diagnosis, therapy, and prophylaxis of tapeworm infections.