A review of human sparganosis in Thailand

BACKGROUND: Sparganosis is a zoonosis that occurs occasionally in humans. The infection is reported in many countries but is most common in eastern Asia. In Thailand, a southeast Asian country, the infection is sporadic. DESIGN: In this study the clinical presentations of human sparganosis cases in Thailand were investigated by means of a literature review. RESULTS: Reports of 34 cases of sparganosis were found. The infections were ocular (17 cases), subcutaneous (ten cases), central nervous system (five cases), auricular (one case), pulmonary (one case), intraosseous (one case) and intraperitoneal (one case). Of these 34 cases, 14 had risk behaviour reported, 12 had a history of drinking impure water, five had a history of eating frog or snake meat and two had a history of using frog or snake meat as a poultice. Some cases had more than one risk factor. CONCLUSION: Most cases of sparganosis in Thailand presented with superficial ocular mass lesions. The major risk behaviour in Thailand is drinking water contaminated with the infective organism. Some cases of serious deep visceral sparganosis have also been reported.