ABSTRACT
In this review, epidemiological features, diagnosis, and treatment processes of Gongylonema pulchrum cases were discussed. G. pulchrum is a spiruroid nematode usually seen in ruminants; it is known to occasionally infect humans. In humans, reports revealed that it is usually located in the oral cavity and that the most common symptom is the sensation of a moving foreign body in the mouth. Although there is no proven treatment approach yet, it is thought that the most effective treatment is surgery. After surgical treatment, it has been observed that albendazole is administered as the drug therapy in almost all cases. Although the conflict about the benefit of albendazole continues, it is claimed that the drug controls the disease and prevents its recurrence. It has been reported that clinicians sometimes experience difficulties in differential diagnosis due to a lack of knowledge and experience on this rare parasite. A better understanding of the etiopathogenesis of Gongylonema infections will facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of this infection.
Keywords: Gongylonema pulchrum, caprophage insects, psychosis, albendazole
References
1
Jelinek T, Löscher T. Human infection with Gongylonema pulchrum: a case report. Trop Med Parasitol 1994; 45: 329-30.
2
Haruki K, Furuya H, Saito S, Kamiya S, Kagei N. Gongylonema infection in man: a first case of gongylonemosis in Japan. Helminthologia 2005; 42: 63-6.
3
Ward HB. Gongylonema in the Role of a Human Pate. The Journal of Parasitology 1916; 2: 119-25.
4
Xiaodan L, Zhensheng W, Ying H, Hongwei L, Jianqiu J, Peiru Z, et al. Gongylonema pulchrum infection in the human oral cavity: A case report and literature review. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2018; 125: e49-e53.
5
Wilson ME, Lorente CA, Allen JE, Eberhard ML. Gongylonema infection of the mouth in a resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Clin Infect Dis 2001; 32: 1378-80.
6
Paramasvaran S, Sani RA, Hassan L, Hanjeet K, Krishnasamy M, John J, et al. Endo-parasite fauna of rodents caught in five wet markets in Kuala Lumpur and its potential zoonotic implications. Trop Biomed 2009; 26: 67-72.
7
CHANDLER AC. Gongylonema pulchrum in the black bear, Euractos americanus, and the probable synonymy of G. pulchrum Molin, 1847, with G. ursi (Rudolphi, 1819). J Parasitol 1950; 36: 86.
8
Zinter DE, Migaki G. Gongylonema pulchrum in tongues of slaughtered pigs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1970; 157: 301.
9
Kramar U, Skvarč M, Logar M, Islamović S, Kolenc M, Šoba B. First case of human Gongylonema pulchrum infection in Slovenia. J Helminthol 2019; 94: e62.
10
Weber G, Mache K. Uber Hauterscheinungen bei Gongylonema pulchrum, seine Erstbeobachtung in Deutschland beim Menschen [Skin manifestations in Gongylonema pulchrum, first human case in Germany]. Hautarzt 1973; 24: 286-8.
11
Pesson B, Hersant C, Biehler JF, Abou-Bacar A, Brunet J, Pfaff AW, et al. First case of human gongylonemosis in France. Parasite 2013; 20: 5.
12
Rysavy B, Sebek Z, Tenora F. The finding of Gongylonema pulchrum Molin, 1857 (Nematoda) in man. Folia Parasitologica 1969; 16: 66.
13
Amászta M, Holló F, Miskolczy L, Stróbl I. Humán gongylonematosis elsö esete Magyarországon [The 1st case of human gongylonematosis in Hungary]. Orv Hetil 1973; 114: 2237-8.
14
Waisberg V, Dos Santos Lima W, Vasconcelos-Santos DV. Intraocular Gongylonema Infection: First Case in Humans. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 2018; 26: 595-7.
15
Liu GH, Sun MM, Elsheikha HM, Fu YT, Sugiyama H, Ando K, et al. Human gnathostomiasis: a neglected food-borne zoonosis. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13: 616.
16
Available form: https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/gongylonema/index.html.
17
Garcia LS. Unusual Parasitic Infections. In: Garcia LS(ed). Diagnostic Medical Parasitology. 5th ed. American Society for Microbiology. Washington: DC; 2007; p.489-90.
18
Huang Q, Wang J, Yang T, Liu Y. Multiple Gongylonema pulchrum worms in a human esophagus. Endoscopy 2016; 48 Suppl 1 UCTN: E24-5.
19
Kobayashi Y, Tsuyuzaki J. Ascaris lumbricoides Discharge from the Mouth. Case Rep Gastroenterol 2018; 12: 153-7.
20
Liu GH, Jia YQ, Wang YN, Zhao GH, Zhu XQ. The complete mitochondrial genome of the gullet worm Gongylonema pulchrum: gene content, arrangement, composition and phylogenetic implications. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8: 100.
21
Altaş MG, Sevgili M, Gökçen A, Aksin N, Bayburs HC. Şanlıurfa Yöresi Kıl Keçilerinde Sindirim Sistemi Nematodlarının Yayılışı. Türkiye Parazitoloji Dergisi 2009; 33: 20-4.
22
Aldemir OS, Güçlü F, Akça A. Kars Yöresi Koç ve Koyunlarda Gongylonema pulchrum’un Yayılışı. Türkiye Parazitoloji Dergisi 2004; 28: 96-9.
23
Senlik B, Cirak VY, Girisgin O, Akyol CV. Helminth infections of wild boars (Sus scrofa) in the Bursa province of Turkey. J Helmintholm 2011; 85: 404-8.
24
Gürel T, Umur Ş. Prevalence and molecular diagnosis of Gongylonema pulchrum in cattle and sheep in the Samsun region. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 2021; 68: 129-35.
25
Libertin CR, Reza M, Peterson JH, Lewis J, Hata DJ. Human Gongylonema pulchrum Infection: Esophageal Symptoms and Need for Prolonged Albendazole Therapy. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017; 96: 873-5.
26
Bleier T, Hetzel U, Bauer C, Behlert O, Burkhardt E. Gongylonema pulchrum infection and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a vari (Lemur macaco variegata; Kehr 1792). J Zoo Wildl Med 2005; 36: 342-5.
27
Eslami A, Ashrafihelan J, Vahedi N. Study on the prevalence and pathology of Gongylonema pulchrum (Gullet worm) of sheep from Iran. Global Vet 2010; 5: 45-8.
28
Zhu L, Xu Y, Chen X, Qin J, Niu T, Zhu Y, et al. The Establishment of Esophageal Precancerous Lesion Model by Using p53 Conditional Knockout Mouse in Esophageal Epithelium. Biomed Res Int 2020; 2020: 4534289.
29
Molavi GH, Massoud J, Gutierrez Y. Human Gongylonema infection in Iran. J Helminthol 2006; 80: 425-8.
30
Wilde H, Suankratay C, Thongkam C, Chaiyabutr N, Chaiyabutr N. Human gongylonema infection in Southeast Asia. J Travel Med 2001; 8: 204-6.
31
Miman Ö, Saygı G. Helmintler. Miman Ö, Saygı G, editörler. Temel Tıbbi Parazitoloji. 1. Baskı. İstanbul Tıp Kitabevleri. İstanbul, 2018; s.181-2.
32
Allen JD, Esquela-Kerscher A. Gongylonema pulchrum infection in a resident of Williamsburg, Virginia, verified by genetic analysis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013; 89: 755-7.
33
Eberhard ML, Busillo C. Human Gongylonema infection in a resident of New York City. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1999; 61: 51-2.
34
Obata-Ninomiya K, Domeier PP, Ziegler SF. Basophils and Eosinophils in Nematode Infections. Front Immunol 2020; 11: 583824.
35
Ayala MA, Yencha MW. Gongylonema: a parasitic nematode of the oral cavity. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2012; 138: 1082-4.
36
Ngui R, Ishak S, Chuen CS, Mahmud R, Lim YA. Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal parasitism in rural and remote West Malaysia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2011; 5: e974.
37
Kudo N, Kubota H, Gotoh H, Ishida H, Ikadai H, Oyamada T. Efficacy of thiabendazole, mebendazole, levamisole and ivermectin against gullet worm, Gongylonema pulchrum: in vitro and in vivo studies. Vet Parasitol 2008; 151: 46-52.
