A case report of Linguatula serrata infestation from rural area of Isfahan city, Iran

Authors
Hamid Tabibian 1
Hossein Yousofi Darani 2
Mehran Bahadoran-Bagh-Badorani 2
Masood Farahmand Soderjani 1
Hamid Enayatinia 3
1 Center of Medicine, Committee of Occupational Medicine, Abbas Abad Avenue, Iran
2 Parasitology and Mycology Department, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Isfahan, Iran
3 Dr. Enayatinia Private Medical Office, Chamran Street, Borkhar District, Khorzogh, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Linguatulosis occurs accidentally in human by ingestion of raw or undercooked visceral tissues of sheep, goat, camel, and other herbivores. In this case report, 2 patients from an Afghan family infested with this parasite in rural area of Isfahan, Iran are presented. Clinical signs and symptoms including pricking sensation in throat, coughing, sneezing, yellow nasal and ears discharges, which started 2-3 hours after eating raw goat liver. Nymphs of Linguatula serrata were isolated from their tongues and later, several more parasites were discharged by coughing and sneezing. An ancient belief about nutritional benefits of eating raw liver may causes more Halzoun syndrome in future.

Keywords

1. Gerald D Schmidt, Larry S Roberts: Roberts' Foundation of Parasitology 4 th ed. WCB Publishers. Dubuque IA, USA 1995:486-8.  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2. Schacher JF, Saab S, Germanos R, Boostani N.: The etiology of Halzoun in Lebanon; recovery of L.serratanymph from two patients. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1969; 63:854-8.  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3. Mehlhorn H. Encyclopedic reference of parasitology.2 nd ed. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag; 2004.  Back to cited text no. 3
    
4. John DT, Petri WA. Markell&Voge's medical parasitology. 9 th Ed. Missouri: Saunders Elsevier; 2006.  Back to cited text no. 4
    
5. Siavashi MR, Assmar A, Vatankhah A. Nasopharyngeal Pentastomiasis (Halzoun): Report of 3 cases. IJMS 2002; 27:191-2.  Back to cited text no. 5
    
6. Maleky F., A case report of Linguatula serrata in human throat from Tehran, central Iran. Indian J Med Sci 2001;55:439-41.  Back to cited text no. 6
[PUBMED]  Medknow Journal  
7. Yeganeh MA, Talari S, Dehghani R. A case of Linguatula serratain Kashan. Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. 2001;8:175-8  Back to cited text no. 7
    
8. AnarakiMohammadi G, Mobedi I, Ariaeipour M. A case report of nasopharyngeal linguatulosis in Tehran, Iran and characterization of the isolated Linguatula serrata. Iranian J Parasitol. 2008;3:53-5.  Back to cited text no. 8
    
9. Arbabi M, Hooshyar H, Mobedi E, Boostani M.First case report of Marrara disease from Kashan. The Journal of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences.1997; 5:58-60.  Back to cited text no. 9
    
10. Schlossberg D, Goldman l, Ausiello D, editors. Cecil Text Book of Medicine. Philadelphia: Saunders (an imprint of Elsevier); 2004. p. 2126.  Back to cited text no. 10
    
 
Advanced Biomedical Research
Volume 2012, August
August 2012
Pages 1-3