title: First reports of subcutaneous sparganosis in Sri Lanka.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report and create awareness of sparganosis, a parasitic zoonosis caused by a larval stage of Spirometra sp.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two patients with non-tender subcutaneous lumps. DIAGNOSIS CRITERIA: Morphology of solid cestode larva in excision biopsies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although these two instances were innocuous, infection is potentially dangerous as larvae are long lived and could invade vital organs. The most likely source of infection in Sri Lanka is ingestion of the infected first intermediate host, Cyclops, in water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wijesundera
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ratnatunga
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Kumarasinghe
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Dissanaike
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012876:Skin Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D013031:Sparganosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology