Pulmonary sparganosis mansoni: a case report from a nonendemic region

Sparganosis mansoni is a parasitic disease caused by the larva of Spirometra mansoni. It occurs worldwide, but only a few patients show pulmonary involvement. Here, we present a case of pulmonary sparganosis mansoni in a non-endemic region. A 32-year-old Chinese woman presented with intermittent bloody phlegm, peripheral blood eosinophilia, and migratory patch shadows in both lungs. She had been misdiagnosed with eosinophilic pneumonia. She had a history of eating raw frogs, and the sparganum mansoni antibody was positive in both her blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Several sparganum mansoni were found in a frog sample that the patient provided. Consequently, she was diagnosed with pulmonary sparganosis mansoni. After two oral courses of praziquantel were administered, her symptoms and radiological lesions improved significantly. To our knowledge, this is the first case of pulmonary sparganosis mansoni occuring in Shanghai. Oral praziquantel is effective for the treatment of sparganosis mansoni, although its course of therapy may need to be repeated.