In their retrospective study of 25 cases of cerebral sparganosis, Song et al. found that 12 patients (48%) had eaten raw or uncooked frog or snake that was infected with sparganum, 5 patients (20%) had applied an animals flesh as a poultice to an open wound, 4 patients had drunk contaminated water, and the cause of infection was not known for 4 patients. As a result of these findings, Song et al. conclude that health education about sparganosis and the importance of food sanitation should be implemented in all rural endemic areas. It has been recommended that water consumed in endemic areas should be boiled or treated to prevent ingestion of Cyclops or Spirometra larvae. Especially in areas where ponds or ditches provide potential habitats for infected copepods, public health strategies should include education campaigns about how to identify drinking water that could potentially be infected. Strategies should warn people against ingesting the raw flesh of the intermediate hosts, such as snakes and frogs, and against using them as poultices. Management
One treatment for sparganosis is praziquantel, administered at a dose of 120 to 150 mg/kg body weight over 2 days; however, praziquantel has had limited success. In general, infestation by one or a few sparganum larvae is often best treated by surgical removal.DNA analysis of rare worms removed surgically can provide genome information to identify and characterise each parasite; treatments for the more common tapeworms can be cross-checked to see whether they are also likely to be effective against the species in question.
In the Western hemisphere, the most common cause of infection is drinking contaminated water. Hosts, reservoirs, and vectors
Definitive hosts of Spirometra include dogs, cats, birds, and wild carnivores, while humans are accidental hosts. First intermediate hosts include copepods and other fresh-water crustaceans, while second intermediate hosts include birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The intermediate hosts are also the reservoirs of Spirometra. There are no vectors of Spirometra. Incubation period
The incubation period of Spirometra is 20 days to 3 years. Morphology
The sparganum larvae are white, wrinkled, and ribbon-shaped. They range from a few millimeters in length to several centimeters. The anterior end can invaginate and bears suggestions of the sucking grooves that are present in the scolex of the mature worm. The absence of a scolex or protoscolex in Spirometra is a key difference in differentiating between Taenia solium and Spirometra. The worms body is also characterized by a stromal network of smooth muscle. In general, plerocercoids in the East (S. mansoni) are described as larger and more delicate than those in the West.The eggs of S. mansonoides provide an example of the general morphological characteristics of Spirometra eggs. S. mansonoides eggs resemble the eggs of D. latum, with some specific differences. S. mansonoides eggs measure 57-66 µm by 33-37 µm, which is smaller than the eggs of D. latum. The eggs of S. mansonoides are also ellipsoidal and have a conical, prominent operculum.