A human case of Echinostoma hortense (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) infection diagnosed by gastroduodenal endoscopy in Korea

A human infection of Echinostoma hortense in duodenal bulb diagnosed by endoscopy

“…Freshwater fish have been recorded as infection sources of echinostomiasis hortense, most frequently loaches in Korea, followed by frogs Ryang et al, 1985;Cho et al, 2003). Frog tadpoles become infected with metacercariae of echinostomes and metamorphose to adult frogs with the metacercariae in their tissues, predominantly in muscles.…”

Foodborne Intestinal Flukes in Southeast Asia

“…The severity of symptoms is generally stronger than those seen in other intestinal fluke infections, such as heterophyids [5]. In this respect, reports of patients with E. hortense infection is noteworthy who sufferred from severe epigastric discomfort and ulcerative lesions in the stomach or duodenum and diagnosed by recovery of worms at gastroduodenal endoscopy [125][126][127][128][129]. A patient admitted to a hospital because of epigastric pain and hematemesis revealed in gastroduodenoscopy an adult fluke attached at the lesion, which was removed by an endoscopic clipper [125].…”

“…Another patient suffered from epigastric discomfort for a year, and acute epigastric pain and diarrhea for 1 month, which was accompanied by acidic belching, dizziness, and weight loss of 2 kg [126]. The third patient complained of epigastric discomfort for several days [127], and the fourth patient suffered from upper abdominal pain and discomfort persisting for 2 wk [128]. The fifth patient had epigastric discomfort, indigestion, anorexia, dizziness, headache, nausea, and vomiting; these symtpoms became severer and she was hospitalized [129].…”

“…The worm wiggled on stimulation and became tightly stretched during retrieval with a forcep [126]. Two more patients diagnosed at gastroduodenal endoscopy had 2 living wroms each in the duodenal bulb area, at times accompanied by mucosal erosions [127,128]. In another patient, from whom 2 living E. hortense flukes were recovered, the affected gastric mucosa revealed signs of chronic gastritis, and at the proximal part of the duodenum multiple cured ulcerative lesions were observed [129].…”

“…In the Republic of Korea, an endemicity of this echinostome infection, with 22.4% prevalence, was reported among residents of Cheongsong-gun [124]. In hospitals of the Republic of Korea, clinical cases are at times diagnosed by extracting worms through gastroduodenal endoscopy [125][126][127][128][129].…”