Capillariasis: chronic watery diarrhea--not only from microorganisms.

A 54-year-old male Thai patient from Prachin Buri Province presented with a history of chronic watery diarrhea for many years. He passed stool five to ten times per day with occasionally colicky pain, abdominal distension, nausea and vomiting. He had visited hospitals and private clinics and received treatment but with no improvement. He presented to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand, where on physical examination, he had moderate dehydration, weakness, abdominal distension and a gurgling abdomen. The eggs, larvae and adult worms of Capillaria philippinensis were found on stool examination. The patient was admitted and treated with Mebendazole for 20 days, whereupon his symptoms resolved. Two months previously, he had ingested a raw small fresh-water fish dish called "Phra-Pla Siw/Soi". Small fresh-water fish near the patient's home were collected and examined for Capillaria philippinensis larva. The results were negative for parasitic organisms.

The first human infection with Bertiella studeri in Vietnam.

This is the first case report of Bertiella studeri infection in Vietnam. The patient was a 4 year old boy in Cai Lay district of Tien Giang Province, noting some proglottids in his feces. The time and mode of infection were unknown, but anorexia, weight loss, and intermittent diarrhea were noted. Niclosamide (Yomesan) 1 gram was prescribed, and then albendazole (Zentel) 400mg daily for 3 days. Proglottids were found in the feces three months after the first treatment, and 1 month after the second course.