Human intestinal capillariasis (Capillaria philippinensis) in Taiwan.

Capillaria philippinensis was first reported in 1963 in the Philippines. Major outbreaks have occurred in the Philippines and Thailand. This article reviews the known 30 intestinal capillariasis cases in Taiwan from January 1983 to December 2003. The infected cases were diagnosed each year with the exception of 1984 and 2002, making Taiwan a Capillaria-prevalent area. Two Taiwanese aboriginal tribes, the Ami and Paiwan, presented a high prevalence. The males and elderly also had a high infection rate. Nine cases were diagnosed by histopathological biopsied specimens. About half of the 30 cases denied having consumed raw or undercooked fish. All cases recovered to health after receiving medication, with no deaths or recurrences.

[Susceptibility to the infection of Anopheles nuneztovari Gabaldón and Aedes aegypti L with Romanomermis iyengari Welch (Rhabditida: Mermitidae)]. / Susceptibilidad de Anopheles nuneztovari Gabaldón y Aedes aegypti L a la infección con Romanomermis iyengari Welch (Rhabditida: Mermitidae).

A laboratory-based study was performed in order to assess the infestation capacity of the mosquito parasite nematode Romanomermis iyengari Welch, on Anopheles nuneztovari Gabaldón and Aedes aegypti L. For each mosquito species, nine hundred (900) I to III instars larvae were taken. These larvae were infested with pre-parasitic larvae of R. iyengari in proportions of 5:1 and 10:1. The infestation averages obtained were 3.9 and 6.7 for Anopheles nuneztovari, and 1.9 and 4.7 for Aedes aegypti respectively. Mortality ranked between 95 and 100% for both mosquito species and Anopheles nuneztovari showed the highest susceptibility to the nematode parasitism.

Capillaria hepatica: a spurious case with a brief review.

A 12-year-old Bunun aboriginal school student in Sanmin District Kaohsiung County, Southern Taiwan, was found to have Capillaria hepatica eggs in the feces during a survey on intestinal parasitic infection in 1997. Moreover, this student was also infected with Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides. The C. hepatica eggs were light yellowish-brown in color, 54 (40-60) microns in length and 29 (25-35) microns in width with a 3 (3-4) microns thick shell and two colorless egg plugs 7 (5-9) x 6 (5-8) microns. This is the eighth case of human spurious C. hepatica infection in Taiwan. In addition to the reporting of this case, the genuine and spurious infections of C. hepatica in humans as well as its infection in rats around the world are briefly reviewed.

Human intestinal capillariasis (Capillaria philippinensis) in Taiwan.

A human case of intestinal capillariasis was first recognized in the Philippines in the mid-1960s. The parasitosis is a life threatening disease and has been reported from Thailand, Japan, Taiwan. Korea, Iran, and Egypt. Clinical symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, borborygmi, marked weight loss, protein and electrolyte loss, and cachexia. Capillariasis may be fatal if treatment is not given early. We observed 7 cases living in the more rural areas of Taiwan. Two cases had histories of travelling to Thailand. These two cases might have been infected in Thailand while stayed there. The other 5 cases didn't have histories of going abroad. According to the route of transmission, freshwater and brackish-water fish may act as the intermediate host of the parasite. People who like to eat raw fish, and have had long term diarrhea with abdominal pain and borborygmi, capillariasis philippinensis should be highly suspected. The most simple and convenient method of diagnosing capillariasis is stool examination. Treatment with mebendazole or albendazole for 20-30 days is known to be effective. All 7 cases we observed were cured through adequate treatment with anthelmintics and general management. A case, found in Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital in 1983, may be the first case in Taiwan.

Eustrongylidiasis--a parasitic infection acquired by eating live minnows.

The objective of this study was to heighten physician awareness of eustrongylidiasis by investigating the epidemiology of this parasitic infection. The nematode Eustrongylides ignotus was recovered surgically from our patient, in whom eustrongylidiasis simulated acute appendicitis. The patient had consumed two live minnows obtained from Big Timber Creek of Belmawr, NJ. The authors determined the E ignotus infestation rate of free-living minnows at this creek. With this data, they approximate the probability of human infection with E ignotus after eating live minnows and attempt to evaluate the hypothesis that eating live minnows may lead to eustrongylidiasis.

Human intestinal capillariasis in an area of nonendemicity: case report and review.

We report a rare case of human intestinal capillariasis in a young Colombian man who presented with abdominal pain and mild, self-limited diarrhea. Capillaria eggs were visualized in the feces, and treatment with mebendazole (200 mg/d for 3 weeks) resulted in clinical and parasitological cure. To our knowledge, this is the first case in a South American person and the second case reported in Europe. This case highlights the acquisition of endemic intestinal parasitosis far away from classically considered areas of endemicity. We review the English-language literature on human intestinal capillariasis and compare findings from other cases with those from the current case.

The giant kidney worm (Dioctophyma renale) infection in man in Australia.

A 47-year-old, previously healthy farmer from Grafton, N.S.W. in Australia, developed loin pain and hematuria 2 months after minor trauma to his loin. A renal cyst was found by ultrasound and arteriography. At operation, a thick-walled cyst containing 800 ml of clotted blood was excised together with a small wedge of kidney. Ring-like structures measuring 70 X 45 mu were found in the fibrous cyst wall and in the surrounding fat. These birefringent double-walled "rings" with equally spaced radial striations were identified as the eggs of Dioctophyma renale.