Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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A Case of Ocular Sparganosis in China: Episode of Migration from Muscle Cone to Subconjunctiva

  • Xinyuan, Chen (Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University) ;
  • Yanyuan, Fang (Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University) ;
  • Liming, Tao (Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University) ;
  • Miao, Liu (Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Medical University) ;
  • Kun, Liang (Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University)
  • Received : 2022.07.14
  • Accepted : 2022.11.25
  • Published : 2022.12.31
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Abstract

To improve our understanding of the migration of sparganum in humans, we report a case of ocular sparganosis having the migratory episode from the muscle cone to the subconjunctiva. A 34-year-old woman was admitted to the Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Hefei, China), in December 2019. She presented with conjunctival hemorrhage and recurrent pain in the left eye. A foreign body was found in the muscle cone of the eye. Two months later, a ribbon-like white material was found under the conjunctiva on slit-lamp examination. A long and slender, actively moving parasite was extracted by surgery. The extracted worm was approximately 8 cm long and 2 mm wide. The worm was whitish, wrinkled, ribbon shaped, and had a slightly enlarged scolex. The worm sample was morphologically identified as a plerocercoid larva (sparganum) of the Spirometra tapeworm. Her conjunctival blood suffusion and eye pain ceased within 1 week after operation. She has been in good health without any symptoms during the 2-year follow-up. A case of ocular sparganosis, in which larval worm migrated from the muscle cone to the subconjunctiva is reported from China.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of this case report. This work was supported by a grant from the Foundation of Anhui Medical University (2021xkj161).

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