Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates

Wild mustelids and canids are definitive hosts of Taenia and Versteria spp. while rodents act as natural intermediate hosts. Rarely, larval stages of these parasites can cause serious zoonoses. In Europe, four cases of Taenia martis cysticercosis have been diagnosed in immunocompetent women, and two...

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Main Authors: Peter Deplazes, Ramon M. Eichenberger, Felix Grimm
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-08-01
Series:International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224419300227
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author Peter Deplazes
Ramon M. Eichenberger
Felix Grimm
author_facet Peter Deplazes
Ramon M. Eichenberger
Felix Grimm
author_sort Peter Deplazes
collection DOAJ
description Wild mustelids and canids are definitive hosts of Taenia and Versteria spp. while rodents act as natural intermediate hosts. Rarely, larval stages of these parasites can cause serious zoonoses. In Europe, four cases of Taenia martis cysticercosis have been diagnosed in immunocompetent women, and two cases in zoo primates since 2013. In North America, a zoonotic genotype related but distinct from Versteria mustelae has been identified in 2014, which had caused a fatal infection in an orangutan and liver- and disseminated cysticercoses in two severely immune deficient human patients in 2018, respectively. Additionally, we could attribute a historic human case from the USA to this Versteria sp. by reanalysing a published nucleotide sequence. In the last decades, sporadic zoonotic infections by cysticerci of the canid tapeworm Taenia crassiceps have been described (4 in North America, 8 in Europe). Besides, 3 ocular cases from North America and one neural infection from Europe, all in immunocompetent patients, 6 cutaneous infections were described in severely immunocompromised European patients. Correspondingly, besides oral infections with taeniid eggs, accidental subcutaneous oncosphere establishment after egg-contamination of open wounds was suggested, especially in cases with a history of cutaneous injuries at the infection site. Taenia multiceps is mainly transmitted in a domestic cycle. Only five human coenurosis cases are published since 2000. In contrast, T. serialis coenurosis (1 human case since 2000) is primarily transmitted by wild canids. The etiological diagnosis of exotic cysticercoses is challenging. Usually, clinical material does not allow for a morphological identification, and serological tests are not available. These limitations have partly been overcome by molecular tools. Without claiming any dramatic emergence of cysticercoses and coenuroses transmitted by wild carnivores, further sporadic cases of such ‘exotic’ infections have to be expected. Keywords: Taenia crassiceps, Taenia martis, Taenia serialis, Versteria sp., Mustelids, Wild canids
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spelling doaj.art-6a5a15ea64f24bcfb8626ceb06d295992022-12-21T23:54:37ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442019-08-019342358Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primatesPeter Deplazes0Ramon M. Eichenberger1Felix Grimm2Corresponding author. Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 266a, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.; Institute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, 8057, Zürich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, 8057, Zürich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, 8057, Zürich, SwitzerlandWild mustelids and canids are definitive hosts of Taenia and Versteria spp. while rodents act as natural intermediate hosts. Rarely, larval stages of these parasites can cause serious zoonoses. In Europe, four cases of Taenia martis cysticercosis have been diagnosed in immunocompetent women, and two cases in zoo primates since 2013. In North America, a zoonotic genotype related but distinct from Versteria mustelae has been identified in 2014, which had caused a fatal infection in an orangutan and liver- and disseminated cysticercoses in two severely immune deficient human patients in 2018, respectively. Additionally, we could attribute a historic human case from the USA to this Versteria sp. by reanalysing a published nucleotide sequence. In the last decades, sporadic zoonotic infections by cysticerci of the canid tapeworm Taenia crassiceps have been described (4 in North America, 8 in Europe). Besides, 3 ocular cases from North America and one neural infection from Europe, all in immunocompetent patients, 6 cutaneous infections were described in severely immunocompromised European patients. Correspondingly, besides oral infections with taeniid eggs, accidental subcutaneous oncosphere establishment after egg-contamination of open wounds was suggested, especially in cases with a history of cutaneous injuries at the infection site. Taenia multiceps is mainly transmitted in a domestic cycle. Only five human coenurosis cases are published since 2000. In contrast, T. serialis coenurosis (1 human case since 2000) is primarily transmitted by wild canids. The etiological diagnosis of exotic cysticercoses is challenging. Usually, clinical material does not allow for a morphological identification, and serological tests are not available. These limitations have partly been overcome by molecular tools. Without claiming any dramatic emergence of cysticercoses and coenuroses transmitted by wild carnivores, further sporadic cases of such ‘exotic’ infections have to be expected. Keywords: Taenia crassiceps, Taenia martis, Taenia serialis, Versteria sp., Mustelids, Wild canidshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224419300227
spellingShingle Peter Deplazes
Ramon M. Eichenberger
Felix Grimm
Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
title Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates
title_full Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates
title_fullStr Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates
title_full_unstemmed Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates
title_short Wildlife-transmitted Taenia and Versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates
title_sort wildlife transmitted taenia and versteria cysticercosis and coenurosis in humans and other primates
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224419300227
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