Human Infection with Pseudoterranova azarasi Roundworm

identifi cation of mycobacteria by DNA amplifi cation and oligonucleotide-specifi c capture plate hybridization. 16S rRNA sequence diversity in Myco-bacterium celatum strains caused by presence of two different copies of 16S rRNA gene.ment of partial sequencing of the 65-ki-loDalton heat shock protein gene (hsp65) for routine identifi cation of Mycobacteri-um species isolated from clinical sources. of mycobacterial species by comparative sequence analysis of the RNA poly-merase gene (rpoB). Collins DM. Isolation of Mycobacterium bovis and other mycobacterial species from ferrets and stoats. To the Editor: Eating raw or undercooked marine fi sh may lead to infection with several helminths. Members of the Pseudoterranova decipiens species complex are the second most common nematodes found in humans (most common are nematodes of the Anisakis simplex complex) (1,2). The P. decipiens species complex consists of at least 5 sibling species (genetically but not morphologically distinguishable): P. In northern Japan, human infection with Pseudoterranova spp. is not rare; by the mid-1990s, as many as 769 cases had been reported (3). Pseudoterranovosis has also been encountered in North and South America and Europe (4,5). However, possible biologic and geographic differences of the sibling species of genus Pseudoterranova in relation to human infection remain unknown. We report a case of pseudoterranovosis for which the sibling species was confi rmed as P. azarasi. In 2009, a woman in Japan coughed up a nematode and expelled it through her mouth. Her medical history was unremarkable, and she had not traveled abroad for the past few years. Measurements of the worm were as follows: body 35 mm long and 0.85 mm wide; esophagus 1.88 mm long; ventriculus 1.05 mm long; and intestinal cecum 0.95 mm long, extending anteriorly along the ventriculus. The anterior end of the worm contained 3 lips. The tail was conical, 0.21 mm long, and had a small, knob-like process at the posterior end. On the basis of morpohologic features, the worm was identifi ed as a 4th-stage larva of P. decipiens (sensu lato) roundworms. DNA was extracted from the isolate from the patient (clinical isolate) and from isolates of P. decipiens (sensu lato) larvae from Pacifi c cod purchased at a local market. PCR was performed and the amplifi cation products were directly sequenced. Primers used were 5′-CCGGGCAAA AGTCGTAACAA-3′ and 5′-ATATG CTTAAATTCAGCGGGT-3′ for a region that spans the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1, ITS2, and 5.8S rRNA; 5′-CTACTACTAAGAATTTGCGT-3′ and 5′-AATCCAAATACTTACGAG GA-3′ for cytochrome oxidase sub-unit …