Objective: To report the first case of cerebral sparganosis diagnosed in Australia.
Clinical features: A 23-year-old East Timorese refugee, whose diet before migration included raw snakes and frogs, presented with a generalised tonic-clonic seizure and a nine-month history of episodic left hemianaesthesia. Computerised axial tomography of the brain showed a right frontal lesion, which was excised, and histological examination demonstrated changes typical of sparganosis.
Intervention and outcome: Excision of the lesion resulted in cure. Postoperative eosinophilia and a subcutaneous nodule presumed to be due to disseminated sparganosis resolved following a course of praziquantel.
Conclusion: Clinicians should consider the possibility of unusual parasitic infections in refugees who present with intracranial space-occupying lesions, especially those from developing countries. A dietary history may aid the diagnosis.