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Cureus Apr 2024Ascariasis is a common helminthic infection, especially in India. Though it is known to inhabit the jejunum of the small intestine, it may invade the hepato-biliary and...
Ascariasis is a common helminthic infection, especially in India. Though it is known to inhabit the jejunum of the small intestine, it may invade the hepato-biliary and pancreatic ducts, causing a spectrum of clinical manifestations. We present a case of idiopathic recurrent acute pancreatitis in a 61-year-old female patient who was later diagnosed with pancreatic ascariasis using endoscopic ultrasound. This emphasizes the possibility of ascariasis as one of the causes of acute pancreatitis and the use of endoscopic ultrasound as an initial diagnostic tool for the evaluation of idiopathic acute pancreatitis.
PubMed: 38716023
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.57758 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Apr 2024Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) refers to a set of parasitic illnesses caused by nematode worms and spread to people through faeces-contaminated soil. It is highly...
BACKGROUND
Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) refers to a set of parasitic illnesses caused by nematode worms and spread to people through faeces-contaminated soil. It is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries due to a lack of environmental sanitation and personal hygiene. Pregnant women are among the risk groups for infection by soil-transmitted helminths. Former studies of the disease burden among pregnant women in Ethiopia didn't indicate the intensity of parasitic infection. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of soil-transmitted helminths among pregnant women.
METHODS
An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 randomly selected pregnant women. The data were collected using a structured interview-administered questionnaire and a laboratory test. The Kato-Katz technique was used to diagnose soil-transmitted helminthiasis and determine the intensity of the infection. The collected data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of soil-transmitted helminths at a p-value < 0.05.
RESULTS
The overall prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths among pregnant women was 30%. (95%, CI: 26-34%). Living in a rural area (AOR = 3.35; 95% CI = 1.83-6.13), drinking from an unprotected water source (AOR = 2.52; 95% CI = 1.45-4.37), not washing one's hand after the toilet (AOR = 2.75; 95% CI = 1.55-4.88), lacking health information (AOR = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.01-2.85), working as a daily labourer (AOR = 2.88; 95% CI = 1.01-8.20), and walking barefoot (AOR = 4.00; 95% CI = 2.29-7.00) were significantly associated with the presence of soil-transmitted helminths among pregnant women.
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of STH was significantly moderate in the study area, where pregnant women were mostly affected by ascariasis and hookworms. Living in a rural area, being a daily labourer, walking barefoot, not washing hands after the toilet, drinking from an unprotected water source, and lacking health information were the determining factors. Interventions including health education, the expansion of pure drinking water sources, the promotion of personal hygiene, and the wearing of shoes are recommended to reduce the burden of soil-transmitted helminths in the study area.
Topics: Humans; Female; Ethiopia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Pregnancy; Adult; Helminthiasis; Soil; Young Adult; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Adolescent; Animals; Helminths; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; Feces; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38658830
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09331-y -
Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy Apr 2024Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile tract is a rare biliary tumor characterized by mucin growth within the bile duct. In the early stages, it often... (Review)
Review
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile tract is a rare biliary tumor characterized by mucin growth within the bile duct. In the early stages, it often presents without significant obstruction, this often leads to its discovery in the advanced stages. We report a case of a 63-year-old female with an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile duct (IPMN-B). The patient had a history of intrahepatic bile duct stones and biliary ascariasis. She gradually developed symptoms such as jaundice and intermittent fever before admission, and a bile duct biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of IPMN-B. Currently, endoscopic photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered an effective treatment for bile duct cancer. In this case, we performed two sessions of PDT guided by SpyGlass. The patient experienced complete remission postoperatively, and there has been no evidence of tumor recurrence or metastasis in the three years following the procedure.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Photochemotherapy; Bile Duct Neoplasms; Photosensitizing Agents; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Aminolevulinic Acid
PubMed: 38642727
DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2024.104098 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Apr 2024We describe a case of a 2-year-old child who expelled a single adult female Ascaris lumbricoides worm. The patient is from a rural county in Mississippi, USA, with no...
We describe a case of a 2-year-old child who expelled a single adult female Ascaris lumbricoides worm. The patient is from a rural county in Mississippi, USA, with no reported travel outside of the United States. The caregivers in the home practice good sanitation. Exposure to domestic pigs is the likely source of infection.
Topics: Swine; Adult; Animals; Humans; Female; Child, Preschool; Mississippi; Ascariasis; Ascaris lumbricoides; Sus scrofa; Travel
PubMed: 38526329
DOI: 10.3201/eid3004.240176 -
Jornal de Pediatria Mar 2024Complications of ascariasis are a significant cause of abdominal pain in pediatric emergencies, especially where it is endemic. A literature review was conducted with... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Complications of ascariasis are a significant cause of abdominal pain in pediatric emergencies, especially where it is endemic. A literature review was conducted with the aim of improving diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for these patients.
DATA SOURCES
A PubMed search was conducted using the key terms "ascariasis complications" and "hepatobiliary ascariasis". The search strategy included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, observational studies, case reports, and reviews published up to December 2023.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Obstruction of the small bowel is the most common complication. Others that are, rarer and more difficult to properly identify and treat, such as biliary, hepatic, and pancreatic complications, acute appendicitis, Meckel's diverticulitis, or peritoneal granulomas. Hepatic and pancreatic complications are rarer and more serious in children than in adults. While plain radiography is usually the only option in cases of intestinal obstruction, ultrasonography is the examination of choice in cases of hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and appendicular ascariasis complications in childhood. The treatment is clinical and conservative in most patients. Surgical treatment is indicated if conservative therapy fails, or if there are signs of complications. Laparoscopy has been used as an excellent technical alternative in adults with hepatobiliary complications of ascariasis, but further studies on its use in children are still needed.
CONCLUSION
The creation of protocols and greater debate on this subject should be encouraged for a better understanding of the disease and to establish an early diagnosis and adequate treatment for children with complications resulting from massive infestation by Ascaris lumbricoides.
PubMed: 38522478
DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2024.02.001 -
Acta Parasitologica Mar 2024Ascariasis caused by the helminth Ascaris suum is the most common parasitosis of swine worldwide and it may involve all age categories of pigs. The present study reports...
PURPOSE
Ascariasis caused by the helminth Ascaris suum is the most common parasitosis of swine worldwide and it may involve all age categories of pigs. The present study reports an unusual localization of A. suum worms in the biliary system of a piglet slaughtered for human consumption.
METHODS
The liver was subjected to ultrasound scan and pathological examination. The isolated worms were morphologically examined and the DNA was extracted for the molecular identification of the species involved.
RESULTS
A total of 43 preadult nematodes were found within the gallbladder and the bile ducts. Parasites were morphologically identified as belonging to the genus Ascaris and molecularly as A. suum. At gross examination, the liver was moderately enlarged, with the bile ducts severely dilated. A chronic inflammatory infiltrate was noted, often centered around ectatic bile ducts (up to 5 mm in diameter), lined by hyperplastic epithelium and filled with sections of nematodes. The worm sections showed smooth cuticle, coelomyarian musculature, and an intestinal tract lined by columnar, uninucleated cells within a pseudocoelom. The ex vivo ultrasonographic examination of the liver allowed the visualization of several nematodes in the bile duct lumen and could be suggested for in vivo diagnosis. Unfortunately, the absence of the intestine did not allow to define the pathogenesis of the infection.
CONCLUSION
Although, given the unusual nature of this finding, it is difficult to identify predisposing factors for this A. suum localization, it suggests that ascariasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pigs with hepatobiliary disease.
Topics: Animals; Ascariasis; Swine; Swine Diseases; Ascaris suum; Liver; Ultrasonography; Liver Diseases, Parasitic; Gallbladder; Bile Ducts
PubMed: 38424402
DOI: 10.1007/s11686-024-00813-2 -
Journal of Ayub Medical College,... 2023Gall bladder ascariasis is a rare entity accounting for only 2.1% of biliary ascariasis features due to anatomical features of the cystic duct. It usually presents with...
Gall bladder ascariasis is a rare entity accounting for only 2.1% of biliary ascariasis features due to anatomical features of the cystic duct. It usually presents with vague abdominal features. Ultrasonography is the most sensitive and useful investigation for its diagnosis. We present a case of gall bladder ascariasis in an antenatal young female patient showing features of cholecystitis. She was diagnosed by ultrasonography and managed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy followed by oral anti-helminthic drugs. She made an uneventful recovery and is doing great in follow-up visits.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Ascariasis; Cholecystitis; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic; Abdomen
PubMed: 38404103
DOI: 10.55519/JAMC-03-10212 -
Endoscopy Dec 2024
Topics: Humans; Ascariasis; Biliary Tract Diseases; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde
PubMed: 38388953
DOI: 10.1055/a-2258-8436 -
Endoscopy Dec 2024
Topics: Animals; Humans; Ascaris; Endoscopy; Ascariasis; Colon
PubMed: 38388952
DOI: 10.1055/a-2248-0227 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Feb 2024Ascariasis (roundworm) is the most common parasitic helminth infection globally and can lead to significant morbidity in children including chronic lung disease....
Ascariasis (roundworm) is the most common parasitic helminth infection globally and can lead to significant morbidity in children including chronic lung disease. Children become infected with Ascaris spp. via oral ingestion of eggs. It has long been assumed that Ascaris egg hatching and larval translocation across the gastrointestinal mucosa to initiate infection occurs in the small intestine. Here, we show that A. suum larvae hatched in the host stomach in a murine model. Larvae utilize acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase; acid chitinase; Chia) from chief cells and acid pumped by parietal cells to emerge from eggs on the surface of gastric epithelium. Furthermore, antagonizing AMCase and gastric acid in the stomach decreases parasitic burden in the liver and lungs and attenuates lung disease. Given Ascaris eggs are chitin-coated, the gastric corpus would logically be the most likely organ for egg hatching, though this is the first study directly evincing the essential role of the host gastric corpus microenvironment. These findings point towards potential novel mechanisms for therapeutic targets to prevent ascariasis and identify a new biomedical significance of AMCase in mammals.
Topics: Child; Humans; Animals; Mice; Swine; Ascaris suum; Ascariasis; Larva; Disease Models, Animal; Ascaris; Lung; Lung Diseases; Stomach; Chitinases; Swine Diseases; Mammals
PubMed: 38324590
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011930