Vulva sparganosis misdiagnosed as a Bartholin's gland abscess

Abstract

Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by the plerocercoid larvae of diphyllobothroid tapeworms belonging to the genus Spirometra, as first described by Manson in 1882. The infection is transmitted by ingestion of contaminated water, frogs, and snakes, and contact between a second intermediate host and an open wound or mucus membranes. Humans are accidental hosts in the life cycle, but dogs, cats, and other mammals are definitive hosts. Once a human becomes infected, the plerocercoid larvae migrate to a subcutaneous location, where they typically develop into a painful nodule. We misdiagnosed vulva sparganosis as a Bartholin's gland abscess. The patient was a green consumer, so she may have been infected by consuming health foods. Sparganosis should be considered as a cause of soft tissue masses especially among patients who have ingested health foods.