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Reprinted from JOURNAL OFTHE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY.
St. LouisVol. 15,No.5,Part2.PP. 1145-1148, November, 1986 (Primed
in the U. S. A.)(Copyright ) 1986 by The American Academy
ofDermatology, Inc.)
Human sparganosis
Deba P. Sarma. M.D.. and Thomas G. Weilbaecher. M.D.New Orleans.
LA
A case of human sparganosis is reported. Approximately
sixty-eight such
cases have been reported from the United States, most having
been found in
the southern states. Clinically sparganosis appears as a
subcutaneous nodule.
Diagnosis is established after the larval worm has been
identified in the
excised tissue. Excision of the lesion is curative. (J AM ACAD
DERMATOL
15:1145-1148. 1986.)
Sparganosis is an infection by sparganum. the
generic term for the migrating plerocercoid larva
of a tapeworm of the species Spirometra. The adult
tapeworms live in the intestines of dogs and cats.
In the United States most of the human cases are
thought to be acquired by drinking water contam-
inated with the larval stage of the tapeworm.
Approximately sixty-eight cases of human spar-
ganosis have been reported from the United
From the Department of Pathology and Dermatology. Louisiana
State
University Medical School, and the Veterans Administration
Med-
ical Center.
Repnnt requests to: Dr. D. Sarma. 1601 Perdido St.. New
Orleans.
LA 70146/504-568-0811.
States.1"
25The actual number of cases diagnosed is
probably higher; there are thirty examples of
sparganosis on file at the Armed Forces Institute
of Pathology. Washington. DC.23
Most of the cases
have been reported from the southern United
States. Sparganosis has been reported worldwide
but is most common in China, Japan, and South-
east Asia. Cases have also been reported from the
Caribbean islands. South America. Africa, and
Australia." Because of the population movement,
it is expected that cases of sparganosis will be
observed anywhere in the United States, especially
among the immigrants from various countries.
Typically, a patient with sparganosis presents with
1145
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Sarma and Weilbaecher
Journal of theAmerican Academy of
Dermatology
the United States and review of the literature. Dermatol
Trop 1964:3:73-8.12. Markell EK. Haber SL: A case of human
sparganosis
from California. Am J Med 1964:37:491-4.
13. Dudley JB. Pool RS. Sparganosis in North Carolina:report of
two cases. NC Med J 1965:26:95-7.
14. McQuay RM. Veiga S. Frumovitz WA. Sparganosis ina Chicago
resident originally from Arkansas: report of a
case. Am J Clin Pathol 1966:46:645-8.
15. Cox EC. Sparsanosis in South Carolina. J SC Med
Assoc1968:64:233-5.
16. Rywiin AM. Beck JW. Snyder GB. Sparganosis in Florida. Arch
Dermatol 1968:97:425-7.
17. Sanson JG. Bode MJ. Human sparganosis: report of acase in
Wisconsin. Wis Med J 1972~:71:164-6.
18. Daly JJ. Baker GF. Johnson BR. Human sparganosis inArkansas.
J Arkansas Med Soc 1975:71:397-402.
19. Taylor RL. Sparganosis in the United States: report of
acase. Am J ClirTpathol 1976:66:560-4.
20. Campbell EW. Beals C. Striking eosinophilia in sparganosis.
Postgrad Med 1977:62:138-40.
21. Fischman NH. Blalock JB, Carrera GM. Human sparganosis in
Louisiana: a case report. J La State Med Soc
1977;129:215-8.
22.
Cho C, Patel SP. Human spareanosis in northern UnitedStates. NY
State J Med 1978.:78:1456-8.
23. Gardiner CH. Rutland ED. Watkins RW. Case for diagnosis.
Milit Med 1979;144:600-2.
24. Norman SH. Kreutner A. Sparganosis: cl inical andpathologic
observations in ten cases. South Med J
1980:73:297-300.
25. Anders K. Foley K, Stern WE. et al. Intracranial
sparganosis: an uncommon infection: case report. J Neuro-
surg 1984:60:1282-6.
26. Moulinier R. Martinez E. Torres J. et al. Human
prolif-erative spareanosis in Venezuela: report of a case. Am J
Trop Med Hyg 1982:31:358-63.
Sarma DP, Weilbaecher TG(1986):Human spaganosis. J Am Acad
Dermatol. 15: 1145-1148. PMID:
2945847 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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