Abstract
Snakeborne Armillifer pentastomiasis is an emerging human parasitic infection in rural tropical areas where snake meat is eaten. After a series of severe ocular A. grandis larval infections and anecdotal abdominal infection in Sankuru District, Democratic Republic of the Congo, during 2014-2015, we systematically investigated possible pentastomid etiology in patients who underwent surgery in the region. Histologic and molecular analyses by established pentastomid 18S rDNA- and newly developed Armillifer-specific cytochrome oxidase PCRs revealed larval pentastomid lesions in 3.7% of patients. Some persons had A. armillatus and A. grandis co-infections. Another pentastomid larva, Raillietiella sp., was molecularly detected in 1 patient who had concomitant A. grandis and A. armillatus infection. The PCRs used were suitable for detecting pentastomid species even in highly necrotic tissues. Phylogenetic analyses of Armillifer cytochrome oxidase genes detected multiple local strains.
Highlights
Snakeborne Armillifer pentastomiasis is an emerging human parasitic infection in rural tropical areas where snake meat is eaten
In the Sankuru District, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), severe ocular infections caused by A. grandis recently have surfaced (7,8)
In 2 of these 3 lesions, ovarial tissue was detected by histology; in 1 necrotic pentastomid lesion, no positive PCR result was obtained (Table)
Summary
Snakeborne Armillifer pentastomiasis is an emerging human parasitic infection in rural tropical areas where snake meat is eaten. After a series of severe ocular A. grandis larval infections and anecdotal abdominal infection in Sankuru District, Democratic Republic of the Congo, during 2014– 2015, we systematically investigated possible pentastomid etiology in patients who underwent surgery in the region. Molecular tools recently have been used successfully in human infections for species discrimination in immigrants from tropical areas (2) and local populations in Africa (8,12). In the Sankuru District, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), severe ocular infections caused by A. grandis recently have surfaced (7,8). We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of patients undergoing abdominal surgery to investigate in detail the etiology of abdominal cystic lesions for the presence of pentastomid larvae in the district by histology and immunohistologic and molecular methods. We surveyed local markets for pentastomid-infested snakes
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