A case of breast sparganosis

Korean J Parasitol. 2002 Dec;40(4):187-9. doi: 10.3347/kjp.2002.40.4.187.

Abstract

A 29-year-old Korean woman visited the Department of Surgery in MizMedi Hospital with a palpable itching mass on the right breast that had existed for the past 7 months. She had no history to eat either frogs or snakes, but had the history of drinking impure water. Sonography revealed a serpiginous hypoechoic tubular structure associated with partial fat necrosis in breast parenchymal layer and subcutaneous fat layer. It also revealed oval cystic lesions. At operation, an ivory white opaque ribbon-like worm that measured 16.5 cm in length and 0.5 cm in width was extracted. Anti-sparganum specific serum IgG level in the patient's serum (absorbance = 0.71), measured by ELISA, was found to be significantly higher than those of normal controls (cut off point = 0.21). Sonography and ELISA appear to be helpful to diagnose sparganosis. Breast sparganosis is rarely found throughout the world.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Helminth / blood
  • Breast / parasitology*
  • Breast Diseases / diagnosis
  • Breast Diseases / parasitology*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Sparganosis / diagnosis
  • Sparganosis / parasitology*
  • Sparganum / immunology
  • Sparganum / isolation & purification
  • Ultrasonography, Mammary

Substances

  • Antibodies, Helminth
  • Immunoglobulin G