Infectious Disease Compendium

Pentastomiasis

Microbiology

Linguatula (the tongue worm, so-called because of its shape) and Armillifer.

Epidemiologic Risks

Found in Africa, the Middle East, and Malaysia, it is associated with eating raw snake.

Armillifer and Porocephalus: live in the lungs of reptiles.

Linguatula: carnivorous mammals such as dogs by way of sheep, goats, and camels.

Syndromes

Usually, no symptoms unless they go to a vital area. Can be found serendipitous in the OR when mucking about for other reasons, and is a cause of eosinophilia.

Linguatula serrata and Armillifer can infect humans causes a self-limited allergic nasopharyngitis--the halzoun (allergic pharyngitis following the consumption of raw or undercooked ovine liver in Lebanon)(PubMed) or marrara syndrome (PubMed).

On x-ray "calcified nymphs of Armillifer spp. and less often L. serrata are detected on pulmonary or abdominal radiographs, showing a horseshoe or C-shaped structure (PubMed)."

Treatment

None.

Notes

No more snake sushi for me.

Last update: 05/05/18