Sparganosis (Spirometra) in Europe in the Molecular Era

Abstract

Sparganosis is a relatively neglected food- and waterborne disease caused by species of the tapeworm genus Spirometra the global distribution of which has not been sufficiently recognised. Known mainly as a zoonosis of East Asia, its species are native to all inhabited continents including Europe. Spirometra has been reported from numerous wildlife species from 17 European countries and a critical review confirmed 17 autochthonous and 8 imported human clinical cases. We present the first molecular evidence of the coincident presence of two species in Europe and review the current distribution to raise awareness of the parasite in this region. Spirometra erinaceieuropaei is restricted to Europe and S. mansoni represents a lineage distributed mainly across Asia and Oceania that reaches Europe. The parasite is common in Eastern Europe and its distribution has potential to expand along with its invasive or migrating mammal hosts, spreading the risks of human infection.

Genome of the fatal tapeworm Sparganum proliferum uncovers mechanisms for cryptic life cycle and aberrant larval proliferation

“…To clarify the phylogenetic relationship of the enigmatic parasite S. proliferum with other cestode species and investigate the underlying pathogenic mechanisms, we sequenced its entire genome as well as that of newly isolated S. erinaceieuropaei (it should be noted that recent studies suggested that Asian S. erinaceieuropaei can be taxonomically distinguished from European S. erinaceieuropaei 15,16 , but we retain the name S. erinaceieuropaei for the Japanese isolate). We also performed transcriptome analyses of S. proliferum plerocercoid larvae to identify genes that are involved in asexual proliferation in the host.…”

Intestinal Parasites of Neotropical Wild Jaguars, Pumas, Ocelots, and Jaguarundis in Colombia: Old Friends Brought Back from Oblivion and New Insights

“…Sparganosis is a globally distributed neglected water- and food-borne disease caused by larval stages of Spirometra sp. located in various human body tissues [ 34 ]. The occurrence of Spirometra infections across South America has been reported since the beginning of the 20th century [ 35 ].…”

Molecular Characterization of Spirometra decipiens Complex (Eucestoda: Diphyllobothriidea) from Uruguay

“…Based on this, Almeida et al [8] report the occurrence of at least two species of Spirometra in South America, which are different from Old World taxa. In the most recent reports [5,9], American Spirometra species are split into two S. decipiens complexes.…”

“…that prey on the intermediate or paratenic hosts. In humans, the disease produced by the development of the Spirometra's plerocercoids is known as sparganosis [4,5]. In rare cases, the adult stage of Spirometra spp.…”

“…To date, the knowledge of Spirometra taxonomy is yet to be elucidated [2]. In a recent report, Kuchta et al [5] proposed a classification with at least six molecularly distinct taxa according to their geographical distribution and molecular phylogeny. Spirometra mansoni has the widest distribution around the Old World and Oceania, Spirometra erinaceieuropaei in Europe, Spirometra folium in Africa, a Spirometra sp.…”