Subcutaneous larva migrans of a sparganum in a gnathostomiasis-endemic area

Kunlayanee Akkarachinorate, Pukvaran Udnan, Kittipong Chaisiri, Chalit Komalamisra, Paron Dekumyoy, Wallop Pakdee, Rangsan Praevanich, Sisuchart Mongkhonmu, Dorn Watthanakulpanich

Ban Luang Hospital, Ban Luang, Thailand;.
Bangkok School of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Department of Helminthology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand;.

DOI: 10.4236/crcm.2013.29138                

Abstract

We report a case of subcutaneous larva migrans caused by a tape worm (sparganum), a rare and under-recognized food-borne parasitic zoonosis, in Nan Province, Northern Thailand. An obese 56-year-old female presented a 3-month history of an intermittent migrating subcutaneous nodule in the abdomen associated with pain and itching. Physical examination showed a tubal resection scar on the lower abdomen with a swelling and movable irregular, and firm nodule with ill-defined border at the right lower quadrant of abdomen. Blood examination showed slight increased of eosinophil levels (6%). Excisional biopsy showed a viable non-segmented tape worm in the subcutaneous tissue identified by morphological examination and Western blot technique as a sparganum. Surgical removal is recommended for a worm in the subcutaneous connective tissues and superficial muscles.

Keywords

Subcutaneous Larva Migrans; Sparganosis; Zoonosis; Northern Thailand

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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