title: First case report of invasive pseudoterranoviasis in Italy.
abstract: Members of the genera Anisakis and Pseudoterranova are the main causative agents of human anisakidosis: the disease is worldwide distributed, with major impact in countries with a large consumption of raw fish. Because of unspecific symptoms and limited diagnostic tools, incidence and burden of disease are probably underestimated. In Italy, all human infestations where the etiological agent has been properly identified, have been associated to the parasitic species Anisakis pegreffii, the most frequent anisakid in the Mediterranean area. Here, an invasive human case of pseudoterranoviasis is described for the first time in Italy: in 2015, a woman was found infected during a colonoscopy scheduled after the occurrence of nonspecific clinical symptoms. The nematode was found penetrating the ascending colon. The identification was performed by sequencing the mitochondrial region cox2 and by comparison to GenBank retrieved material using the BLAST search tool. The sample showed a 99% identity with Pseudoterranova decipiens sensu stricto. The record underlines the potential risk due to the consumption of raw or undercooked imported fishes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: serena.cavallero@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cavallero
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scribano
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'Amelio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017129:Anisakiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D017163:Anisakis / Q000145:classification*; D017162:Ascaridida / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017191:Ascaridida Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D001483:Base Sequence; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D005399:Fishes / Q000469:parasitology; D016266:Food Parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007814:Larva; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV
keywords: Anisakidosis; Imported fishes; Molecular diagnosis; Pseudoterranova decipiens sensu stricto