Is strongyloidiasis currently autochthonous in Croatia? A retrospective study

Author(s):  
Mirjana Balen Topić ◽  
Ena Marjanović ◽  
Domagoj Tomasović ◽  
Mario Sviben

Abstract Background Autochthonous human infections with Strongyloides stercoralis have been well documented in many European regions. By exploring patients’ data, we aimed to find elements for its current endemicity in Croatia. Methods This retrospective descriptive study analysed epidemiological and clinical data of patients treated for strongyloidiasis from January 2010 to May 2019 at a teaching hospital in Zagreb, Croatia. The diagnosis was made by direct methods using light microscopy and/or serology. Results Among 65 patients with strongyloidiasis, 60% were men, and 78.5% were 50–79 y of age. The sensitivity of the examination of three stool samples after concentration, saline provocation and serology was 26.2, 80.7 and 86.2%, respectively. Clinical presentation included asymptomatic patients with eosinophilia (41.5%), chronic symptomatic infection (33.8%), acute infection (18.5%) and hyperinfection (6.2%). Twenty patients (30.8%) were immunosuppressed; among four of whom developed hyperinfection, two died. Initially 71.7% of patients were treated with albendazole and 13.3% with ivermectin, with an equal parasitological cure rate (72.2% and 75%; p=0.09). In 11 patients, acute infection was autochthonous in its origin. Conclusions Strongyloidiasis is currently endemic in Croatia and immunosuppressed travellers to this region should be advised to take precautions. Patients undergoing immunosuppression and organ donors from Croatia should be screened.

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 93-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raihan Shrestha ◽  
Mahendra Maharjan

A total of 495 stool samples from the school children aged 9-12 years from Bhaktapur were examined for helminth parasites by direct smear method. Out of 495 children, 137 (27.68%) were found positive for one or more intestinal helminthic parasites. Ascaris lumbricoides (22.63%) showed highest prevalence rate followed by Trichuris trichiura (6.06%), Strongyloides stercoralis (1.82%), Hookworm (1.62%), Taenia sp. (1.01%), Hymenolepis nana (0.81%) and Enterobius vermicularis (0.40%). The helminthic infection was found to be almost equal in male and female children and statistically no signifi cant difference was found (χ2 = 8.31×10-6, p>0.05). Higher percentages of students were infected with single parasites than double and multiple infections. All 137 positive cases were treated with single oral dose of 400 mg albendazole. Post-treatment stool samples were collected four weeks after treatment to determine the cure rate. Stool samples were again collected 24 weeks post-treatment to study the rate of reinfection. The Cure Rates (CR) for A. lumbricoides was 61.82%, S. stercoralis was 66.67%, Taenia sp., Hookworm and E. vermicularis were 100%, T. trichiura was 44.83% and H. nana was 0.00%. The post treatment examination after 24 weeks showed that re-infection was present in A. lumbricoides (20.29%) and T. trichiura (7.69%) only. New infection was recorded for A. lumbricoides (21.74%), T. trichiura (4.72%), S. stercoralis (1.60%) and E. vermicularis (0.76%). The study showed albendazole was comparatively less effective against S. stercoralis, A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura which may be due to development of drug resistance at certain level which needs to be explored.J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 28, 2014: 93-101


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 623-627
Author(s):  
Kanishk K Adhit ◽  
Anjankar Ashish P ◽  
Siddhaarth K

In China, Wuhan in the province of China, COVID-19 a patient suffering from pneumonia was tested and to identify the cause, the throat swab of the patient was tested. On 7th January 2020 WHO declared the identification as COVID-19. And then it was proclaimed as a pandemic. It classically causes a respiratory illness presenting as a mild cough, fever and . However, several investigators have advocated the involvement of the gastrointestinal tract and liver in COVID-19 infection similar to other infections. Further research studies have shown results that are expanding the possibility of transmission because RT-PCR assessment has shown significant evidence for the presence of virus not only in samples but also in stool samples. Studies have shown that virus in stool samples have got positive results even after the illness has resolved, and two respiratory tests were done 24 hours after COVID-19 being tested negative. The review article the different findings of the clinical presentation of COVID-19. It sheds light on the effects of COVID-19 in the gastrointestinal system along with the reasons for the high possibility of transmission of COVID-19 through the route.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela Parreira ◽  
Tiago Rama ◽  
Teresa Eloi ◽  
Vítor Carneiro ◽  
Maria Inês Leite

Abstract Gastric lipomas are rare, representing 2–3% of all benign tumours of the stomach. Most of these stomach neoplasms are small and detected incidentally during endoscopic or radiology evaluations. Computed tomography is highly specific imaging for lipoma diagnosis. Endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound are other important diagnostic modalities to confirm the diagnosis. Identifying typical features can avoid biopsy or surgery in asymptomatic patients. In patients with larger lesions, usually more than 2 cm, clinical presentation may encompass haemorrhage, abdominal pain, pyloric obstruction and dyspepsia. As a result of its extreme low incidence, treatment is not standardized, though it is widely accepted that a symptomatic tumour mandates resection. Here, we present the case of a 60-year-old female presenting with abdominal pain and recurrent vomiting due to a giant gastric lipoma (80 × 35 × 35 mm). The patient underwent laparotomy and an enucleation was performed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 2131
Author(s):  
Stefania Pane ◽  
Anna Sacco ◽  
Andrea Iorio ◽  
Lorenza Romani ◽  
Lorenza Putignani

Background: Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the intestinal nematode Strongyloides stercoralis and characterized by gastrointestinal and pulmonary involvement. We report a pediatric case of strongyloidiasis to underline the response of the host microbiota to the perturbation induced by the nematode. Methods: We performed a 16S rRNA-metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiota of a 7-year-old female during and after S. stercolaris infection, investigating three time-point of stool samples’ ecology: T0- during parasite infection, T1- a month after parasite infection, and T2- two months after parasite infection. Targeted-metagenomics were used to investigate ecology and to predict the functional pathways of the gut microbiota. Results: an increase in the alpha-diversity indices in T0-T1 samples was observed compared to T2 and healthy controls (CTRLs). Beta-diversity analysis showed a shift in the relative abundance of specific gut bacterial species from T0 to T2 samples. Moreover, the functional prediction of the targeted-metagenomics profiles suggested an enrichment of microbial glycan and carbohydrate metabolisms in the T0 sample compared with CTRLs. Conclusions: The herein report reinforces the literature suggestion of a putative direct or immune-mediated ability of S. stercolaris to promote the increase in bacterial diversity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (01) ◽  
pp. 47-49
Author(s):  
Emanuelle Braga ◽  
Luiza Köhler ◽  
Marcelo de Cesaro ◽  
Tasso Barreto ◽  
Richard Giacomelli ◽  
...  

AbstractVestibular schwannomas (VSs) account for ∼ 70% of all tumors of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Their clinical presentation is often insidious, with progressive hearing loss and involvement of other cranial nerves. Spontaneous hemorrhage in those tumors is very unusual, and generally presents with acute clinical features such as nausea, vomiting, headache and altered consciousness, usually with marked dysfunction of the cranial nerve involved, and with new deficits of neighboring cranial nerves. Asymptomatic patients are extremely rare. We present a case report of an incidental VS with asymptomatic bleeding, which evolved to death after surgery.


Author(s):  
Rohit Vadala ◽  
Isabella Princess

<p>The first theory which has established itself across the world is that COVID-19 is a “new virus”. It is rather wise to call it a “new strain” of a pre-existing coronavirus since history clearly denotes cases of coronavirus surfacing the world in past years beginning as early as mid-1960s.Including this novel strain of the virus, seven strains of coronaviruses have been commonly associated with human infections. Coronaviruses are primarily respiratory viruses causing infections ranging from mild to severe involvement of the respiratory tract. The common cold strains of coronavirus are 229E alpha coronavirus, NL63 alpha coronavirus, OC43 beta coronavirus and HKU1 beta coronavirus.The acute respiratory distress causing strains are severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) beta CoV causing SARS, MERS beta CoV causing Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and the very novel COVID-19. Researchers and molecular biologists have confirmed phylogenetic relationship of COVID-19 with a 2015 Chinese bat strain of SARS CoV.<sup> </sup>Mutations to the surface protein as well as nucleocapsid proteins were demonstrated. These two mutations predicts the characteristics such as higher ability to infect as well as enhanced pathogenicity of COVID-19 as compared to older SARS strain. For this reason and with similarities in clinical presentation the novel strain has been named as SARS-CoV-2.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
Diana Didović ◽  
Srđan Roglić ◽  
Lorna Stemberger-Marić ◽  
Ivana Valenčak-Ignjatić ◽  
Andrea Nikčević

COVID-19 in children accounts for up to 8% of all the cases and is less severe than in adults. This could be an underestimation. A significant number of children are asymptomatic. Symptomatic infection is hard to distinguish from other respiratory tract viral infections based on symptoms and laboratory results. Anosmia is the only symptom in children that is highly suggestive of COVID-19. Infected children mostly have a positive household member. However, the role of children in SARS-CoV-2 transmission is still controversial. Data suggest that schoolchildren have a greater impact in SARS-CoV-2 transmission compared to younger children. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a new entity reported since April 2020 and is considered a rare complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. It occurs in previously healthy older children and adolescents presenting with multisystem involvement and elevated inflammatory markers. Most children respond well to immune-modifying therapy. Treatment of COVID-19 in children is based solely on data received from adults and consists of supportive treatment and, in rare occasions, antiviral therapy (remdesivir), corticosteroids (dexamethasone) and monoclonal antibodies (tocilizumab). Further studies in children are needed in order to better understand this disease. This article discusses clinical presentation and therapeutic options for COVID-19 in children.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edda I. Santiago-Rodriguez ◽  
Andres Maiorana ◽  
Michael J. Peluso ◽  
Rebecca Hoh ◽  
Viva Tai ◽  
...  

AbstractWe aimed to characterize the variability in the illness experience and recovery process from COVID-19. We conducted in-depth individual interviews with participants enrolled in the Long-term Immunological Impact of Novel Coronavirus (LIINC) cohort study in San Francisco, California from June through October of 2020. Participants were adults who had a previously confirmed positive SARV-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test result, had recovered or were recovering from acute infection, and underwent serial evaluations at our clinical research center. We purposefully sampled 24 English- and Spanish-speaking adults with asymptomatic, mild and severe symptomatic infection, including those who were hospitalized, and those with HIV co-infection. Half of our sample (50.0%) identified as Latinx/Hispanic and most of the participants were men (62.5%). We used thematic analysis to characterize the illness experience, recovery process, and mental health impact of experiencing COVID-19 and present clinical data for each participant. Emergent themes were: (1) across symptom profiles and severity, experiencing COVID-19 was associated with psychological distress, (2) among participants with symptomatic infection, the illness experience was characterized by uncertainty in terms of managing symptoms and recovery, and (3) despite wide-ranging illness experiences, participants shared many common characteristics, including health information-seeking behavior facilitated by access to medical care, and uncertainty regarding the course of their illness and recovery. COVID-19 was associated with elevated levels of psychological distress, regardless of symptoms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-50
Author(s):  
Dina Evalina Gultom ◽  
Muhammad Ali ◽  
Ayodhia Pitaloka Pasaribu ◽  
Syahril Pasaribu

BACKGROUND: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection is endemic in Indonesia. Singledose albendazole is routinely used to control STH infections. Some studies found that repeated-dose of albendazole showed better efficacy. There is no study in Indonesia to compare single-dose and repeated-dose albendazole for against STH infections.METHODS: A randomized, open clinical trial was conducted in July-September 2018 among primary school children. Stool samples were collected before treatment and on day 7, 14, 21, and 28 after treatment then stained using the Kato-Katz method. Group I received three consecutive days, group II received two consecutive days, and Group III received single-dose of albendazole. Cure rate (CR) and egg reduction rate (ERR) were compared using Chi-square tests, and eggs per gram (EPG) was compared using the Kruskal Wallis test (p<0.05).RESULTS: One hundred ninety-five subjects enrolled and divided into 65 subjects in each group. The CR and ERR of trichuriasis after three consecutive days (79.5% and 97.4%) and two consecutive days regimen (70.3% and 91.9%) were higher than single-dose regimen (32.2% and 74.6%) with p<0.001, but not for ascariasis or hookworm infection. The highest efficacy was found in three consecutive days regimen group. Trichuris trichiura EPG was significantly different among the three groups on day 7, 14, 21, and 28 after treatment (p<0.001).CONCLUSION: Three and two consecutive days albendazole have better efficacy than single-dose of albendazole for trichuriasis, but not for ascariasis or hookworm infection. Two consecutive days albendazole is better choice for treating trichuriasis with more adherence and less side effect than three consecutive days regimen.KEYWORDS: soil-transmitted helminth infection, albendazole, single-dose, repeated-dose


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Wagner ◽  
Christiane Groetsch ◽  
Sibylle Wilfling ◽  
Karl-Michael Schebesch ◽  
Mustafa Kilic ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The modified Boston criteria (mBC) define the probability for the diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Its initial clinical presentation differs from asymptomatic cerebral microbleedings (cMBs), acute ischemic stroke (AIS), cortical hemosiderosis (cSS), to lobar ICH (lICH). Methods Retrospective analyses and clinical follow-ups of individuals with at least mBC “possible” CAA from 2005 to 2018. Results 149 patients were classified in subgroups due to the index event: lICH (n = 91), AIS (n = 32), > 3 cMBs only (n = 16) and cSS (n = 10). Patients in the lICH subgroup had a significantly higher percentage of single new lICHs compared to other groups, whereas patients in the AIS-group had a significantly higher percentage of multiple new AIS. cMBs as index event predisposed for AIS during follow up (p < 0.0016). Patients of the cMBs- or cSS-group showed significantly more TFNEs (transient focal-neurological episodes) and lower numbers of asymptomatic patients (for epilepsy and TFNEs) at the index event than patients with lICH or AIS (p < 0.0013). At long-term follow-up, the cMBs- and cSS-group were characterized by more TFNEs and fewer asymptomatic patients. Conclusions A new classification system of CAA should add subgroups according to the initial clinical presentation to the mBCs allowing individual prognosis, acute treatment and secondary prophylaxis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document