Bertiella studeri is a species of Bertiellia, a type of cestodes (tapeworms). It is a parasite of primates which was first described in the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) in 1940.[1] The intermediate host are oribatid mites,[1] which ingest the eggs, and are themselves ingested by the vertebrate host.[2] Oribatid mites infected with Bertiella transfer the developmental cysticercoid stage to a human host through tissue feeding.

Bertiella studeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Class: Cestoda
Order: Cyclophyllidea
Family: Anoplocephalidae
Genus: Bertiella
Species:
B. studeri
Binomial name
Bertiella studeri
(Blanchard, 1891)

This is one of two species of Bertiella that cause Bertielliasis in humans (the other being Bertiella mucronata).[3] The majority of human cases occur in individuals who have some level of contact with non-humanprimates.[4] Geographic distribution of cases demonstrate Bertiellia infection within countries from Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Morphology

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An adult B. studeri tapeworm measures 10–30 cm long, and is 1 cm wide.[2] The adult develops in the small intestine of the primate host.[2] Once the adult develops in the small intestine, section of proglottid are expelled through the anus every 2 to 3 days. The average length of a B. Studeri proglottid segment is 0.1 cm with an average width ranging from 0.68 to 1.10 cm.[5] B. Studeri infection in humans is usually asymptomatic. Although, infection can also lead to gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, anorexia, weight loss, vomit and/or constipation.[6]

 
Eggs from proglottids of Bertiella studeri, seen under the microscope (scale bar = 10 μm)

References

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  1. ^ a b Galán-Puchades, Maria Teresa; Vicent Fuentes, Marius; Mas-Coma, Santiago (1 March 2000). "Morphology of Bertiella studeri (Blanchard, 1891) sensu Stunkard (1940) (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) of human origin and a proposal of criteria for the specific diagnosis of bertiellosis" (PDF). Folia Parasitologica. 47 (1): 23–28. doi:10.14411/fp.2000.005. PMID 10833012. 
  2. ^ a b c Baker, D, ed. (2008). "Bertiella studeri". Flynn's Parasites of Laboratory Animals (2nd ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. p. 706. ISBN 9780470344170.
  3. ^ Szyfres, B; Acha, PN (2003). "Bertielliasis". Zoonoses and communicable diseases common to man and animals (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Pan American Health Organization. pp. 160–161. ISBN 9789275119938.
  4. ^ "CDC - DPDX - Bertiella Infection". 30 May 2019.
  5. ^ Sun, X; Fang, Q; Chen, XZ; Hu, SF; Xia, H; Wang, XM (2006). "Bertiella studeri infection, China". Emerg Infect Dis. 12 (1): 176–7. doi:10.3201/eid1201.050579. PMC 3291388. PMID 16634184.
  6. ^ Lopes, VV; dos Santos, HA; Silva, AV; Fontes, G; Vieira, GL; Ferreira, AC; da Silva, ES (2015). "FIRST CASE OF HUMAN INFECTION BY Bertiella studeri (Blanchard, 1891) Stunkard,1940 (Cestoda; Anoplocephalidae) IN BRAZIL". Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 57 (5): 447–50. doi:10.1590/S0036-46652015000500015. PMC 4660458. PMID 26603236.