Molecular diagnosis of Pseudoterranova decipiens s.s in human, France
Metadata
Show full item recordAuthor
Brunet, Julie; Pesson, Bernard; Royant, Maude; Lemoine, Jean-Philippe; Pfaff, Alexander W.; Abou-Baca, Ahmed; Yera, Hélène; Fréalle, Emilie; Dupouy-Camet, Jean; Merino-Espinosa, Gema; Gómez-Mateos, Magdalena; Martín Sánchez, Joaquina; Candolf, ErmannoEditorial
Biomed Central
Materia
Pseudoterranova decipiens Anisakidae Nematode Molecular identification Human infection France
Date
2017Referencia bibliográfica
Brunet, J.; et al. Molecular diagnosis of Pseudoterranova decipiens s.s in human, France. BMC Infectious Diseases, 17: 397 (2017). [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/49758]
Abstract
Background: Anisakis and Pseudoterranova are the main genera involved in human infections caused by nematodes
of the Anisakidae family. Species identification is complicated due to the lack of differential morphological
characteristics at the larval stage, thus requiring molecular differentiation. Pseudoterranova larvae ingested through
raw fish are spontaneously eliminated in most cases, but mechanical removal by means of endoscopy might be
required. To date, only very few cases of Pseudoterranova infection have been reported in France.
Case presentation: A 19-year-old woman from Northeastern France detected, while brushing her teeth, a larva
exiting through her mouth. The patient who presented with headache, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps reported
having eaten baked cod. The worm was a fourth-stage larva with a size of 22 × 0.9 mm, and molecular
biology identified it as Pseudoterranova decipiens sensu stricto (s. s.). In a second P. decipiens infection case, occurring a
few months later, a worm exited through the patient’s nose after she had eaten raw sea bream.
Conclusion: These two cases demonstrate that Pseudoterranova infection is not uncommon among French patients.
Therefore, molecular techniques should be more widely applied for a better characterization of anisakidosis epidemiology
in France.