Human infection with Dicrocoelium dendriticum in Turkey

Human dicrocoeliosis is reported sporadically in various parts of the world. We report a case in a 21-year-old male, who had right upper abdominal pain, weight loss, and chronic relapsing watery diarrhea three to four times daily for four weeks. The patient had abdominal tenderness to palpation in the right upper quadrant. Alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and serum immunoglobulin E levels were slightly elevated; all other biochemical and hematological findings were in their normal ranges. The duodenal biopsy samples were normal and an abdominal ultrasonography showed no biliary or hepatic abnormality. Stool microscopy revealed numerous eggs of Dicrocoelium dendriticum. As pseudoparasitosis can result from eating raw, infected animal liver, the patient was given a liver-free diet for three days, to rule out that possibility. Subsequent stool examinations showed eggs in each of the samples indicating that the infection was genuine. The patient was treated with triclabendazole 10 mg/kg in a single dose. Four weeks later, no parasite eggs were detected in the microscopic examination of the stool samples. The patient got better gradually and the symptoms disappeared. Physicians should keep in mind parasitic diseases such as the rarely encountered dicrocoeliosis

Human infection with dicrocoelium dendriticum in Riyadh district [Saudi Arabia]

During one academic year, a total of 1196 patients refereed to Parasitology Laboratory from King Abdel-Aziz University Hospital, 121 patients were positive for D. dendriticum. The majority were Saudis and only 32 of the 121 patients had true dicrocoeliasis as detected by re-examination after three days of a liver-free diet. The other patients had false dicrocoeliasis. The infection was influenced by the patients behaviors. The Saudis consumed more sheep meat during a month Du-El-Heja and Haj and Feast. The examination of the slaughtered sheep at the governmental slaughterhouses showed that the majority of the patients had liver infection [9-24%] with the lancet liver fluke

Treatment of Egyptian Dicrocoeliasis in man and animals with Mirazid

Two human cases with Dicrocoeliasis dendriticum were successfully treated; one with praziquantel [25 mg/kg three times daily after meals for four successive days] and the second with mirazid [two capsules of 300 mg each, daily an hour before breakfast for six successive days] as indicated clinically and parasitologically. On the other hand, one imported sheep and two locally bred goats naturally infected with D. dendriticum were successfully treated with oleoresin solution [dose of 6 ml of 10 g% equal to two mirazid capsules before breakfast] per os once daily for four successive days. The animals were slaughtered on the 5th day. Mirazid [capsule or oleoresin solution] was effective against dicrocoeliasis in man and animal, respectively

Snail-borne parasitic zoonoses in Korea.

A total of 22 snail-borne parasites causing various parasitic zoonoses in Korea are listed and reviewed. All of these parasites are indigenous except Heterophyes heterophyes, H. dispar and Angiostrongylus cantonensis detected in patients who traveled outside of Korea.