Capillaria philippinensis in Upper Egypt: Has It Become Endemic?

Abstract

Abstract. The goal of this study was to present an overview of human infections with Capillaria philippinensis , a new emerging parasite in Upper Egypt. The study included 21 inpatients who had been admitted to the Assiut University Hospital. Patients suffered from intermittent abdominal pain, borborygmi, chronic diarrhea lasting for several weeks, and marked weight loss. Hypoalbuminemia and low serum levels of potassium, calcium, and sodium were detected in most patients. A stool examination was performed using direct smears and the formalin-ether concentration method. Intact adult worms and/or eggs were evaluated using a light microscope and processed for scanning electron microscopy. The examination by light microscopy illustrated the general morphology of different stages. Using scanning electron microscopy, intestinal villi were found partially covering the cuticle of the adult worms, which provided evidence for the invasion of adult worms into the jejunal mucosa. Two distinct types of eggs, thick-shelled and thin-shelled, were identified and measured.

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites among Children Attending Assiut University Children’s Hospital, Assiut, Egypt

“…Infection reports in children were scarce. Two sisters aged 8 and 12 years from El-Minia governorate were reported (El-Karaksy et al, 2004) while two boys aged 9 years old were reported from Assiut governorate (Attia et al, 2012). S. mansoni and A. duodenale showed the same prevalence rate (1.2%) in the present study.…”

An Indigenous Case of Intestinal Capillariasis with Protein-Losing Enteropathy in Korea

“…Protein-losing enteropathy is a complication frequently manifested in the intestinal capillariasis [16-18]. It is a result of direct mucosal invasion by the adult worms, which is sometimes exacerbated by the host inflammatory responses.…”

Molecular detection of Capillaria philippinensis: An emerging zoonosis in Egypt

“…Whether it was imported from the Philippines with imported live fish stock used to begin fish farms, or we just have our own strain in Egypt (Amin et al, 2011;Attia et al, 2012).…”

“…In the year 2002, El-Dib and Doss (2002) reported 44 cases, with 7 deaths, and later, Amin et al (2011) reported 8 new cases from BeniSweif, and Attia et al (2012) reported 21 cases from Assuit Governorate. The last 3 studies reported the infection in Upper Egypt.…”