''Bertiella'' is a genus of

cestode Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of man ...

tapeworm Eucestoda, commonly referred to as tapeworms, is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworms in the class Cestoda (the other subclass is Cestodaria). Larvae have six posterior hooks on the scolex (head), in contrast to the ten-hooked Cestodar ...

parasites that primarily infects nonhuman

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s and Australian

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

s. Infections by ''Bertiella'' are known as bertielliasis. Occasional human infections have been documented by one of two species: ''

Bertiella studeri ''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. The intermediate host are oribatid mites, which ing ...

'', or '' Bertiella mucronata''. ''Bertiella'' transmission is through oribatid

mites Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

that are present in the soil of problem areas, and can be easily prevented by avoiding contact with nonhuman primates, rodents and soil in these areas.

Pathology

Of 29 different ''Bertiella'' species, only two can infect humans: ''Bertiella studeri'' (majority of human cases), and ''Bertiella mucronata''. Infected patients are usually asymptomatic. Often individuals will have no fever and show no signs of internal organ damage or distress. Although symptoms are unique to each individual, an infected human may suffer from gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, anorexia, weight loss, vomit and/or constipation.

Treatment

Albendazole Albendazole (also known as albendazolum) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic and antiprotozoal agent of the benzimidazole type. It is used for the treatment of a variety of intestinal parasite infections, including ascariasis, pinworm infection, h ...

is not effective in treating this condition;

praziquantel Praziquantel (PZQ), sold under the brandname Biltricide among others, is a medication used to treat a number of types of helminthiasis, parasitic worm infections in mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. In humans specifically, it is us ...

is the preferred agent.

References

Cestoda genera Parasites of primates {{Cestoda-stub