Molecular diagnosis of diphyllobothriasis in Spain, most presumably acquired via imported fish, or sojourn abroad

Abstract

Human diphyllobothriasis is sporadically detected in Spain. Diphyllobothrium latum and Diplogonoporus balaenopterae have been identified. In the study, four cases of presumably imported diphyllobothriasis in Spanish patients were appraised. Molecular diagnosis allowed us to identify ‘exotic’ fish tapeworms such as Diplogonoporus balaenopterae in one patient and Diphyllobothrium pacificum in the others.

Pacific Broad TapewormAdenocephalus pacificusas a Causative Agent of Globally Reemerging Diphyllobothriosis

“…The ability of the A. pacificus tapeworm to expand its distribution area globally is demonstrated by infections of humans in Spain, which have recently been confirmed by molecular data ( 6 , 31 ). The source of human infection in Europe remains to be clarified, but commercial import of marine fish stored on ice from areas to which the parasite is endemic, such as Chile or Ecuador, may be a plausible explanation.…”

Diphyllobothriidae

“…Recently, molecular identification of samples allowed the diagnosis of sporadic exotic clinical cases locally acquired from imported raw fish or overseas acquired in travelers. In this way D. nihonkaiensis cases were reported in France and Switzerland (Yera et al, 2006;Wicht et al, 2008aWicht et al, , 2008bPaugam et al, 2009), D. dendriticus in Switzerland and Czech Republic (De Marval et al, 2013;Kuchta et al, 2013), A. pacificus (Kuchta et al, 2014;Pastor-Valle et al, 2014), Di. balaenopterae (Clavel et al, 1997;Pastor-Valle et al, 2014) and D. latus cases in Spain (Esteban et al, 2014).…”

“…This last and the higher prevalence and intensity of infection by species of diphyllobothriid of major importance in health are more frequently in feral fish (Torres and Puga, 2011;Torres et al, 2002, Torres et al, 2004a. Extensive trade of fresh or chilled fish has led to the description of exotic infections in human living in non-endemic countries (Pastor-Valle et al, 2014) or in endemic countries by nonautochthonous species (Yera et al, 2006;Wicht, 2007, Wicht et al, 2008bPaugam et al, 2009). It results an impact on the epidemiology of diphyllobothriosis, with a risk of dissemination of the parasitosis (Kuchta et al, 2014).…”

A Critical Appraisal of Global Testing Protocols for Zoonotic Parasites in Imported Seafood Applied to Seafood Safety in Australia

“…Dibothriocephalus) [74]. The consumption of imported fish has been linked to cases of human infection in Spain [74][75][76], France [77,78], Switzerland [79][80][81] and recently the first two cases in Singapore from D. nihonkaiensis [82] which may indicate a deficit in the inspection processes of the exporting countries. Ogata, et al [83] considers imported/introduced tilapia, farmed in Mexico since 1964, for the increase in gnathostomiasis cases regionally.…”