FIRST CASE OF HUMAN INFECTION BY Bertiella studeri (Blanchard, 1891) Stunkard,1940 (Cestoda; Anoplocephalidae) IN BRAZIL

SUMMARY Cestodes of the Bertiella genus are parasites of non-human primates found in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Species Bertiella studeri and Bertiella mucronatacould, accidentally, infect human beings. The infection occurs from ingestion of mites from the Oribatida order containing cysticercoid larvae of the parasite. The objective of this report is to register the first case of human infection by Bertiella studeri in Brazil. Proglottids of the parasite, found in the stool sample of a two-and-a-half-year-old child, were fixed, stained and microscopically observed to evaluate its morphological characteristics. Eggs obtained from the proglottids were also studied. The gravid proglottids examined matched the description of the genus Bertiella. The eggs presented a round shape, with the average diameter of 43.7 µm, clearly showing the typical pyriform apparatus of B. studeri. The authors concluded that the child was infected with Bertiella studeri,based on Stunkard's (1940) description of the species. This is the fifth case of human Bertiellosis described in Brazil through morphometric analysis of the parasite, the third in Minas Gerais State and the first diagnosed case of Bertiella studeriin Brazil.

BERTIELLOSIS IN MAN: A REVIEW OF CASES

The presence of Bertiella mucronata and Bertiella studeri (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) in humans is reviewed, and international infection rates and a bibliography included. Taxonomic, biological, epidemiological, pathological, diagnostic, control, prevention and therapeutic aspects of the zoonosis are analyzed, and the increase in zoonotic potentiality of the parasitosis is discussed

Human bertiellosis in Goiás, Brazil: a case report on human infection by Bertiella sp. (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae)

The authors report on a new case of human Bertiellosis in a 2-year old female patient who was born in Goiânia-Goiás (Brazil) and has had history of permanent dwelling in an area frequently visited by simians in Mato Grosso (Brazil). At the time of diagnosis the patient showed inappetence, abdominal pain, and loss of weight. Eggs and proglottids were found in her stool and were identified as Bertiella sp. The objective of this report is to register the third case of human Bertiellosis in Brazil, characterizing one more case of helminthic zoonosis.