Lindsay Jenkins Brandy Conrad Biology 1615 July 16, 2013 SUBCUTANEOUS TAENIA CRASSICEPS INFECTION IN A PATIENT WITH

NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA IntroductionFor my article I chose a case study of an 82-year old German woman with an infection of Taenia Crassiceps. Taenia Crassiceps, a tapeworm whose adult form lives in the intestine of carnivores (Heldwein) was found in the subcutaneous tissue of the womans left hand and forearm. This organism is most commonly found in animals such as foxes. Humans can serve as hosts for this organism when water or food is contaminated by the feces of the infected animal and then consumed. According to the article, Most infections occur in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Thus, immunosuppression seems to be a prerequisite for infection (Heldwein). In this case, the patient was immunosuppressant from a pre-existing condition of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for which she had just completed treatment six cycles of chemotherapy for. Materials and MethodsThe patient was admitted into the hospital complaining of continuous and consistent swelling and pain in her forearm and back of her left hand after having injured it six weeks before. Her physician recommended massage therapy, but with time the pain worsened. Different scanning imagery showed well defined cystic lesions. After five days of being admitted into the hospital, the patient developed large swelling in her forearm. To avoid

Lindsay Jenkins Brandy Conrad Biology 1615 July 16, 2013 pressure building and ultimate nerve and blood flow damage, she then underwent an immediate faciotomy to relieve such pressure that was caused by the swelling. It was at this time that the Taenia Crassiceps were found. They removed what was described as jelly-like tissue which resembled fish eggs from the subcutis, muscles, and tendons by making several excisions in the skin. In an attempt to then cure the patient they left the wounds open, flushing them with saline regularly, and started her on antiparasitic chemotherapy to destroy what was left. She was given praziquantel for 28 days and albendazole for 18 days. Results and DiscussionAfter studying the morphology and histopathology of the tissue, they found that it was indeed Taenia Crassiceps at the larval stage of development. The wounds healed after being given the antiparasitic and there were no signs of recurrence when she returned for a follow-up nine months later. From this case study, it is hypothesized that people who are immunosuppressant or have a malignancy of some sort are more likely to contract this infection. For example, other studies of people who were infected with Taenia Crassiceps had HIV or AIDS, leaving them immunosuppressed. In this case though of course, she had just finished treatment of a malignant disease, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The other topic of discussion of this article was how the disease was transmitted to the woman. Canids and occasionally felids who serve as definitive hosts accommodate the adult

Lindsay Jenkins Brandy Conrad Biology 1615 July 16, 2013 hermaphroditic 714-cm long worms in their digestive tract, where they attach to the intestinal wall (Heldwein). Transmission to and intermediate host happens when a human consumes something that has been contaminated with fecal matter. One case is described in the article about human transmission being linked to a pet dog. The woman in this study had a stray dog imported 18 months earlier that she had adopted, but it is unclear if that is the source of infection in this case.

Lindsay Jenkins Brandy Conrad Biology 1615 July 16, 2013 Bibliography Heldwein, Katharina. "SUBCUTANEOUS TAENIA CRASSICEPS INFECTION IN A PATIENT WITH NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA." American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygene (2006): 10811. Web.