A case of human sparganosis caused by Spirometra erinaceieuropaei in Korea.

Abstract

Sparganosis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by plerocercoid larvae of Spirometra species, commonly transmitted through ingestion of infected copepods or raw intermediate hosts. A 51-year-old man presented with a palpable mass in his right thigh. Surgical excision revealed a worm-like structure. Histopathological and serologic findings suggested sparganosis, and PCR amplification of the cox1 gene from paraffin-embedded tissue showed 99% sequence identity with Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (GenBank accession No. KJ599680.1). Praziquantel (75 mg/kg/day for 3 days) was administered, and the patient showed no evidence of recurrence during follow-up. Eosinophilia was not observed; however, positive sparganum antibodies supported the diagnosis. This case demonstrates that molecular identification using mitochondrial genes can be a valuable diagnostic tool, especially when morphological features are limited. Furthermore, it highlights the zoonotic potential of S. erinaceieuropaei and underscores the importance of food safety, hygiene education, and continuous epidemiological surveillance to prevent human sparganosis in endemic regions.