ABSTRACT
Capillaria hepatica (syn. for Calodium hepaticum) is a zoonotic nematode parasitizing in the livers of rodents as main hosts and in numerous other mammals including humans. It is the causative agent of the rare conditions of hepatic capillariosis and spurious C. hepatica infections in humans. In this review, 163 reported cases of infestations with this parasite (72 reports of hepatic capillariosis, 13 serologically confirmed infestations and 78 observations of spurious infections) are summarized with an overview on the distribution, symptoms, pathology, diagnosis, serology and therapy of this rare human pathogen.
Subject(s)
Capillaria/physiology , Enoplida Infections , Hepatomegaly/parasitology , Life Cycle Stages/physiology , Liver/parasitology , Rodent Diseases , Adult , Africa , Animals , Anthelmintics/administration & dosage , Anthelmintics/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Helminth/analysis , Antibodies, Helminth/immunology , Biopsy , Capillaria/drug effects , Child , Child, Preschool , Disease Reservoirs , Enoplida Infections/diagnosis , Enoplida Infections/epidemiology , Enoplida Infections/immunology , Enoplida Infections/mortality , Enoplida Infections/parasitology , Enoplida Infections/pathology , Enoplida Infections/physiopathology , Enoplida Infections/therapy , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Europe , Female , Hepatomegaly/immunology , Hepatomegaly/pathology , Hepatomegaly/physiopathology , Humans , Infant , Life Cycle Stages/drug effects , Liver/immunology , Liver/pathology , Liver/physiopathology , Male , North America , Phylogeography , Rodent Diseases/diagnosis , Rodent Diseases/epidemiology , Rodent Diseases/immunology , Rodent Diseases/mortality , Rodent Diseases/parasitology , Rodent Diseases/pathology , Rodent Diseases/physiopathology , Rodentia , South America , Survival Rate , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Capillaria philippinensis is an emerging infection in Egypt. Reports in children are scarce. We report here two sisters with C. philippinensis infection, aged 8 and 12 years. Their father was a fisherman and they had a habit of picking small pieces of uncooked fish to eat while their mother prepared their meals. They came from El-Menia governorate, which lies in the northern part of Upper Egypt. Most reported cases from Egypt come from this governorate and nearby areas. Both sisters had persistent profuse watery diarrhea of 12 months' duration. Their weights were below the 5th percentile for age. Both were hypoalbuminemic, but only the younger had pedal edema. Both had hypokalemia and hyponatremia. During the course of their illness they were repeatedly admitted to different hospitals and received intravenous fluids, but the correct diagnosis was not reached. Diagnosis was made by stool examination at our hospital when eggs and larvae were detected in stool samples. Although a diagnosis was promptly made, the older sister who suffered from pneumonia and septic shock unfortunately died a few days after admission. The younger sister was treated successfully with albendazole 200 mg twice daily. Diarrhea abated, pedal edema disappeared, and she started to gain weight.
