Pathology of subcutaneous sparganosis: report of two cases

Two cases of subcutaneous sparganosis were discovered at the Taipei Institute of Pathology in early spring of 1992. They had been resected under the impression of lipomas of the chest and abdomen. Both lesions contained characteristic plerocercoid larva (sparganum) of Spirometra sp., presumably Spirometra mansoni. Characteristic tissue reactions included necrosis, granulomatous reaction, and lymphoplasma cell infiltrates with focal collections of eosinophils. Since the worm can be readily dislodged from the tissues, an accurate diagnosis may not be possible in every instance. Thus, the prevalence of the disease may have been underestimated. Consuming raw flesh of infected second intermediate hosts or paratenic hosts and drinking unboiled water contaminated by infected Cyclops seems to favor the endemic occurrence of the disease in Taiwan.