title: Case report: Molecular diagnosis of subcutaneous Spirometra erinaceieuropaei sparganosis in a Japanese immigrant.
abstract: We report a case of subcutaneous sparganosis in a 68-year-old female Japanese immigrant in Germany. The patient complained of a painless erythema caudal of the umbilicus with a palpable subcutaneous cherry-sized lump. Polymerase chain reaction on formalin-fixed parasite tissue identified Spirometra erinaceieuropaei as the causative agent; the proliferative form of sparganosis, which is caused by the branching and disseminating Sparganum proliferum, could, thus, be excluded. From the excised sparganum, an immunofluorescence test was established and revealed an antibody response directed against the parasite's tegument. Histological key features of the plerocercoid that facilitate diagnosis with different stains are presented.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. dtappe@hygiene.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tappe
authors.forename: Luise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haeupler
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muntau
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Racz
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Harder
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.forename: Clarissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prazeres da Costa
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poppert
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013031:Sparganosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D013146:Spirometra / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers