title: Molecular Diagnosis of Abdominal Armillifer grandis Pentastomiasis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
abstract: Pentastomiasis is an emerging snake-borne parasitic zoonosis in the tropics. We describe a molecular and morphological study to diagnose a cluster of asymptomatic abdominal human infections caused by Armillifer grandis. The findings may indicate a silent epidemic in a rural area where severe symptomatic ocular cases with the same parasite species have recently surfaced. Molecular diagnostics are of increasing importance when patient material from remote areas cannot be thoroughly examined locally for logistic reasons.
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute, Hamburg, Germany tappe@bnitm.de.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tappe
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Mihály
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sulyok
authors.affiliation: MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Lajos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rózsa
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muntau
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haeupler
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Imre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bodó
authors.affiliation: St. Raphael Ophthalmological Center, Ophthalmological Ambulance, Mbuji Mayi, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hardi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D059413:Intraabdominal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D008853:Microscopy; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D057078:Pentastomida / Q000145:classification*; D012424:Rural Population; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology