Parasitism by larval tapeworms genus Spirometra in South American amphibians and reptiles: new records from Brazil and Uruguay, and a review of current knowledge in the region.
Spargana are plerocercoid larvae of cestode tapeworms of the genus Spirometra, Family Diphyllobothriidae, parasitic to frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals. This parasitic disease in humans can be transmitted through the use and consumption of amphibians and reptiles. The available knowledge about Spirometra in South America is scarce, and there are only a few reports on the occurrence of sparganum in amphibians and reptiles, many of them published in old papers not easily available to researchers. In this work we present a review on this topic, provide new records in two species of amphibians and 7 species of reptiles from Brazil and Uruguay respectively. We also summarize current knowledge of Spirometra in the continent, along with an updated of host taxonomy. We could gather from the literature a total of 15 studies about amphibian and reptile hosts, published between 1850 and 2016, corresponding to 43 case reports, mostly from Brazil (29) and Uruguay (8), Argentina (3), Peru (2), and Venezuela (1); the majority of them related to reptiles (five lizards and 26 snake species), and 14 corresponded to amphibians (9 anurans). Plerocercoid larvae were located in different organs of the hosts, such as subcutaneous tissue, coelomic cavity, peritoneum, and musculature. The importance of amphibians and reptiles in the transmission of the disease to humans in South America is discussed. Relevant issues to be studied in the near future are the taxonomic characterization of Spirometra in the region and the biological risk of reptile meat for aboriginal and other rural communities.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Promoção da Saúde, Centro Universitário Cesumar - UniCesumar, Avenida Guedner 1610, Jardim Aclimação, CEP 87050-390, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil; Laboratório de Ictioparasitologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: fabricio_oda@hotmail.com.
Fabrício H
FH
Oda
Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, 25 de mayo 582, Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: borteiro@gmail.com.
Claudio
C
Borteiro
Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Comparada, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil; Laboratório de Ictioparasitologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: rjgrodrigo@gmail.com.
Rodrigo J
RJ
da Graça
Departamento de Patologia, Fundação Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Cidade Universitária S/N, CEP 79070-900, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: lertavares@gmail.com.
Luiz Eduardo R
LER
Tavares
Departamento de Patología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República, Lasplaces 1500, Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: tioalejandro17@hotmail.com.
Alejandro
A
Crampet
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: vinicius.guerrabatista@gmail.com.
Vinicius
V
Guerra
Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Comparada, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil; Laboratório de Ictioparasitologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: flaviafsdlima@gmail.com.
Flávia S
FS
Lima
Laboratório de Ictioparasitologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: sybellebellay@yahoo.com.br.
Sybelle
S
Bellay
Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Dois Vizinhos, Estrada para Boa Esperança, Km 04, s/n Comunidade de São Cristóvão, CEP 85660-000, Dois Vizinhos, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: lekarling@hotmail.com.
Letícia C
LC
Karling
Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República, Lasplaces 1500, Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: oscarfcastro2064@gmail.com.
Oscar
O
Castro
Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Comparada, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil; Laboratório de Ictioparasitologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: takemotorm@nupelia.uem.br.
Ricardo M
RM
Takemoto
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Promoção da Saúde, Centro Universitário Cesumar - UniCesumar, Avenida Guedner 1610, Jardim Aclimação, CEP 87050-390, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: pavanelli@nupelia.uem.br.
Gilberto C
GC
Pavanelli
D000663:Amphibians / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D004199:Disease Vectors; D006801:Humans; D012104:Reptiles / Q000469:parasitology*; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology; D013146:Spirometra / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014583:Uruguay
Amphibians; Literature review; Parasitic disease; Reptiles; Spirometra; Zoonosis