Background: Strongyloides stercoralis infects human hosts mainly through skin contact with contaminated soil. The result is strongyloidiasis, a parasitic disease, with a unique cycle of auto-infection causing a variety of symptoms and... more
Background: Strongyloides stercoralis infects human hosts mainly through skin contact with contaminated soil. The result is strongyloidiasis, a parasitic disease, with a unique cycle of auto-infection causing a variety of symptoms and signs, with possible fatality from hyper-infection. Australian Indigenous community members, often living in rural and remote settings, are exposed to and infected with S. stercoralis. The aim of this review is to determine barriers to control of strongyloidiasis. The purpose is to contribute to the development of initiatives for prevention, early detection and effective treatment of strongyloidiasis.
SUMMARY Strongyloides stercoralis infection may present with acute gastrointestinal symptoms or persist for many years in the asymptomatic, immunocompetent host. Hyperin-fection usually occurs as a result of an alteration in immune... more
SUMMARY Strongyloides stercoralis infection may present with acute gastrointestinal symptoms or persist for many years in the asymptomatic, immunocompetent host. Hyperin-fection usually occurs as a result of an alteration in immune status. The authors report three cases of Strongy-loides hyperinfection that presented as diarrhea and weight loss and the colonoscopy revealed either ulcer-ative colitis or pancolitis. One of them had a fatal outcome. The screening for this infection is mandatory for patients in endemic areas with a history of diarrhea, as an early diagnosis and therapy can have marked impact on the outcome of the disease.
BackgroundThere is a paucity of data pertaining to the epidemiology and public health impact of Enterobius vermicularis and Strongyloides stercoralis infections. We aimed to determine the extent of enterobiasis, strongyloidiasis, and... more
BackgroundThere is a paucity of data pertaining to the epidemiology and public health impact of Enterobius vermicularis and Strongyloides stercoralis infections. We aimed to determine the extent of enterobiasis, strongyloidiasis, and other helminth infections and their association with asymptomatic Plasmodium parasitaemia, anaemia, nutritional status, and blood cell counts in infants, preschool-aged (PSAC), and school-aged children (SAC) from rural coastal Tanzania.MethodsA total of 1,033 children were included in a cross-sectional study implemented in the Bagamoyo district in 2011/2012. Faecal samples were examined for intestinal helminth infections using a broad set of quality controlled methods. Finger-prick blood samples were subjected to filariasis and Plasmodium parasitaemia testing and full blood cell count examination. Weight, length/height, and/or mid-upper arm circumference were measured and the nutritional status determined in accordance with age.Results E. vermicularis i...
ABSTRACT: Of 26 patients infested with Stronglyoides stercoralis 10 (38.5%) were asymptomatic without systemic or cutaneous signs. Nine patients (34.6%) presented with systemic complaints only and seven patients (26.9%) had systemic and... more
ABSTRACT: Of 26 patients infested with Stronglyoides stercoralis 10 (38.5%) were asymptomatic without systemic or cutaneous signs. Nine patients (34.6%) presented with systemic complaints only and seven patients (26.9%) had systemic and cutaneous manifestations. Further observations of the skin lesions on four of those with systemic and cutaneous manifestations revealed linear urticarial bands, extending to several centimeters within 1 hour and persisting up to many days, waiting and waning. Blood examination showed eosinophilia in all patients. These findings confirm the concept that larva currens even alone should be considered a cutaneous sign of systemic disease.
Stronglyoides hyperinfection syndrome (SHS) is an augmentation of the infective life cycle of S stercoralis. Immunosuppressed patients, especially those taking corticosteroid therapy, are at risk. We present a case of fatal SHS with... more
Stronglyoides hyperinfection syndrome (SHS) is an augmentation of the infective life cycle of S stercoralis. Immunosuppressed patients, especially those taking corticosteroid therapy, are at risk. We present a case of fatal SHS with disseminated infection following orthotopic heart transplantation. The patient was treated with increased doses of immunosuppressive medications for graft rejection, including corticosteroids. A review of the literature describing the pathophysiology, host defenses and treatment of SHS is also presented. Diagnostic tests for S stercoralis are reviewed. SHS should be part of the differential diagnosis in immunosuppressed patients presenting with sepsis or gastrointestinal or pulmonary complaints. Pretransplant evaluation for parasitic infections, including strongyloidiasis, should occur in endemic areas or in patients at risk for occult infestation.
An agar plate method for the diagnosis of intestinal strongyloidiasis was compared to the standard formalin-ethyl acetate concentration method. A total of 13 of 225 patients with eosinophilia had positive stools for strongyloides larva by... more
An agar plate method for the diagnosis of intestinal strongyloidiasis was compared to the standard formalin-ethyl acetate concentration method. A total of 13 of 225 patients with eosinophilia had positive stools for strongyloides larva by agar plate compared to six of 225 by the formalin-ethyl acetate method (P = .0455). Nine positive stool specimens by the agar plate method were tested by the Baermann technique, and five were positive. The agar plate method is a sensitive and efficient technique for the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis.
STRONGYLOIDIASIS, WHICH IS CAUSED by the nematode Strongyloides stercoralis, is a common and persistent infection, particularly in developing countries. In the setting of compromised cellular immunity, it can result in fulminant... more
STRONGYLOIDIASIS, WHICH IS CAUSED by the nematode Strongyloides stercoralis, is a common and persistent infection, particularly in developing countries. In the setting of compromised cellular immunity, it can result in fulminant dissemination with case-fatality rates of over 70%. The ...
SUMMARYHuman strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease with global distribution and this infection is caused by the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of... more
SUMMARYHuman strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease with global distribution and this infection is caused by the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of strongyloidiasis in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sera from 1004 residents from a slum (group A) and 299 from city dwellers (group B) were tested for total IgG and IgG subclasses to Strongyloides antigen. There was a significant difference (P < 0·001) in IgG seroprevalence between group A (22%) and group B (5%). Reactive IgG subclasses (IgG1 and IgG4) were also higher in group A (P < 0·05). The seroprevalence of strongyloidiasis in group A increased with age but was unrelated to sex. The presence of reactive IgG to Strongyloides antigen had no correlation with either socio-economic or personal hygiene factors. However, a history of diarrhoea in a family member, in the past 6 months, but not in the respondents was associated with detection of antibodies to S. stercor...
Bayesian statistical methods are increasingly being used in the analysis of parasitological data. Here, the basis of differences between the Bayesian method and the classical or frequentist approach to statistical inference is explained.... more
Bayesian statistical methods are increasingly being used in the analysis of parasitological data. Here, the basis of differences between the Bayesian method and the classical or frequentist approach to statistical inference is explained. This is illustrated with practical implications ...
Strongyloides stercoralis is a world wide distributed small intestinal nematode parasite. In immunocompetent individuals S stercoralis can produce asymptomatic infections or a moderate clinical picture of diarrhea, some cases become... more
Strongyloides stercoralis is a world wide distributed small intestinal nematode parasite. In immunocompetent individuals S stercoralis can produce asymptomatic infections or a moderate clinical picture of diarrhea, some cases become chronic. In immunocompromised patients, a disseminated disease may appear, sometimes fatal. In Chile, there is little epidemiological information about S stercoralis infections and appropriate diagnostic techniques are usually not used. To evaluate the yield of an ELISA test for the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis in Chilean patients. Ten serum samples from patients with S stercoralis infections confirmed by a positive stool examination, 66 samples from individuals with other infections by tissue helminthes (24 toxocariasis, 15 trichinellosis, 11 hydatidosis, 12 fascioliasis and 4 cysticercosis), 13 samples from subjects with autoimmune diseases and 49 samples from apparently healthy individuals with a normal eosinophil count, were studied. ELISA antigen w...
