Sun Xi, Wang Li-Fu, Feng Ying, Xie Hui, Zheng Xiao-Ying, He Ai, Karim Md Robiul, Lv Zhi-Yue, Wu Zhong-Dao
Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China.
Infect Dis Poverty. 2016 May 3;5:34. doi: 10.1186/s40249-016-0129-6.
Canthariasis is a disease of humans caused by the infestation of beetle larvae. It is the second important insectal disease after myiasis. Several species of beetles are reported to cause the disease in gastrointestinal tract, urogenital system, nasal sinuses, ears and faces of mammals. The cigarette beetle Lasioderma serricorne is a widespread and destructive pest that usually feeds on tobacco, tea, beans, cereal grains, and animal and plant specimen. While there was no previous evidence of human infestation by this worm, we report the first case of L. serricorne infestation in a baby girl in China.
Here the case, an eight-month-old baby girl with irritable feeling, rubbing eyes, history of contact with mud and eating oranges twice during five days before attendance, and having "worms" in her stool was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. The clinical examination revealed that the pulse rate, blood pressure and temperature were regular, and the examination of the head, neck, and chest were unremarkable. The stool specimens containing "worms" were sent to the Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University. The worms were recovered, studied morphologically using naked eyes and anatomical lens, PCR analyzed targeting cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) and 18S rRNA genes, examined by sequence analyses of the PCR products and finally classified by phylogenetic analysis to identify their species. Based on the findings, the worms were diagnosed as the larvae of L. serricorne.
This report implies that the baby had an infestation with the larvae of L. serricorne in the gastrointestine. During contact with mud or eating oranges by the girl, worm eggs were swallowed into the stomach and resisted gastric acid digestion which eventually hatched into larvae and caused canthariasis. The 8 months girl had underdeveloped immune system which might facilitate the disease. This report implicates that L. serricorne can infest human accidentally and cause canthariasis that may lead to severe damage to infant and older patient upon involvement of important organs of the body. The patients once diagnosed having canthariasis should be treated in time.
斑蝥病是一种由甲虫幼虫寄生引起的人类疾病。它是仅次于蝇蛆病的第二重要的昆虫性疾病。据报道，有几种甲虫会在哺乳动物的胃肠道、泌尿生殖系统、鼻窦、耳朵和面部引发这种疾病。烟草甲Lasioderma serricorne是一种广泛分布且具有破坏性的害虫，通常以烟草、茶叶、豆类、谷物以及动植物标本为食。虽然此前没有人类被这种虫子寄生的证据，但我们报告了中国首例一名女婴被烟草甲寄生的病例。
该病例为一名八个月大的女婴，有烦躁情绪、揉眼睛的症状，在就诊前五天内有接触泥土和两次吃橙子的经历，且粪便中有“虫子”，被收治于中国广州中山大学附属第一医院。临床检查显示脉搏率、血压和体温正常，头、颈和胸部检查无异常。含有“虫子”的粪便标本被送至中山大学中山医学院寄生虫学系。将虫子取出，先用肉眼和解剖镜进行形态学研究，针对细胞色素氧化酶亚基1（COX1）和18S rRNA基因进行PCR分析，通过对PCR产物进行序列分析进行检测，最后通过系统发育分析进行分类以确定其种类。根据检查结果，这些虫子被诊断为烟草甲的幼虫。
本报告表明该女婴胃肠道被烟草甲幼虫寄生。该女孩在接触泥土或吃橙子时，虫卵被吞入胃中，抵抗了胃酸的消化，最终孵化成幼虫并引发了斑蝥病。这个八个月大的女孩免疫系统发育不完善，这可能促使了疾病的发生。本报告表明烟草甲可能会意外寄生人类并引发斑蝥病，一旦累及身体重要器官，可能会对婴儿和年长患者造成严重损害。一旦确诊患有斑蝥病的患者应及时接受治疗。
