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First case of human Gongylonema pulchrum infection in Slovenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2019

U. Kramar ,
M. Skvarč ,
M. Logar ,
S. Islamović ,
M. Kolenc  and
B. Šoba Open the ORCID record for B. Šoba [Opens in a new window]
U. Kramar
Affiliation:
National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Maribor, Slovenia
M. Skvarč
Affiliation:
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
M. Logar
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
S. Islamović
Affiliation:
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
M. Kolenc
Affiliation:
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
B. Šoba*
Affiliation:
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
*
Author for correspondence: B. Šoba, E-mail: barbara.soba@mf.uni-lj.si
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Abstract

Nematodes of the genus Gongylonema infect a wide range of mammals worldwide but are only sporadically reported in humans. We describe a case of human infection with Gongylonema pulchrum in a 41-year-old man. The patient extracted the nematode from the submucosa under his tongue and correctly self-diagnosed the infection with the help of the Google search engine. In the laboratory, the collected nematode was confirmed as G. pulchrum microscopically by morphological analysis and genetically by amplifying and sequencing the parasite's rDNA. This is the first report of human G. pulchrum infection in Slovenia.

Keywords

Gongylonema pulchrumhuman infectionSloveniamicroscopymolecular typing
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 94 , 2020 , e62
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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Footnotes

*

Current address: Jesenice General Hospital, Jesenice, Slovenia.

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