Subcutaneous cysticercosis diagnosed by mitochondrial DNA analysis

Abstract Background Cysticercosis is caused by the larval stage of the pork tapeworm, Taeniasolium. Central nervous system, eyes, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous tissue are themost frequent sites of involvement.Methods We report a case of subcutaneous larval cestode where no diagnostic histologicalfeatures such as scolex or bladder wall can be seen on serial sections. Identification ofthe pathogen was attempted using mitochondrial DNA analysis of the histopathologicspecimen.Results Analysis of PCR-amplified DNA sequences targeting T. solium mitochondrialcox1 gene and cob gene confirmed the diagnosis.Conclusions When characteristic morphology is absent in histopathology specimen,mitochondrial DNA diagnosis is a powerful tool for a definitive diagnosis of cysticercosis.The DNA diagnosis using such histopathologic specimens would also be applicable foridentification of other parasites as extensive DNA sequence data are currently available. IntroductionCysticercus cellulosae, the larval stage of Taenia solium,is usually more pathogenic to humans than the adulttapeworm.