Respiratory Failure Associated with Ascariasis in a Patient with Immunodeficiency

Abstract

In industrialized countries, risk groups for parasitic diseases include travelers, recent immigrants, and patients with immunodeficiency following chemotherapy and radiotherapy and AIDS. A 66-year-old Polish male was admitted in December 2012 to the Department of Haematology in a fairly good general condition. On the basis of cytological, cytochemical, immunophenotypic, and cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow, the patient was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia. On the 7th day of hospitalization in the Department of Haematology, patient was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to acute respiratory and circulatory failure. In March 2013, 3 months after the onset of respiratory failures, a mature form of Ascaris spp. appeared in the patient's mouth. This report highlights the importance of considering an Ascaris infection in patients with low immunity presenting no eosinophilia but pulmonary failure in the central countries of Europe.

A modified approach to recover and enumerate Ascaris ova in wastewater and sludge

“…In many countries with good sanitation systems (e.g., Australia), ascariasis is not endemic in humans and Ascaris ova are not commonly detected in raw sewage [4, 5]. However, increased migration from Asia and Latin America, in addition to the growing rates of travel to developing countries, is likely to increase the incidence of ascariasis [6]. Therefore, the removal of Ascaris ova from wastewater in developed countries remains crucial to allow the safe use of sludge or recycled water in agriculture [7].…”

Excretion of Ascaris lumbricoides following reduced‐intensity allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and consecutive treatment with mebendazole

“…Complications of migrating larvae of A lumbricoides include eosinophilic pulmonary infiltrates with respiratory failure (Loeffler's syndrome) and obstruction of the intestine or the bile duct . Ascariasis often causes blood eosinophilia . In the literature, only few similar cases can be found.…”

“…[9][10][11] Ascariasis often causes blood eosinophilia. 12,13 In the literature, only few similar cases can be found. However, one case of excretion of A lumbricoides has been described in a patient receiving high-dose chemotherapy and total body irradiation in preparation for autologous HSCT.…”

Löffler syndrome on a Louisiana pig farm

“…Ascariasis should be considered even in the absence of travel history, especially in swine-raising areas that are endemic for Ascaris in pigs, such as the southeastern United States. Swine-associated Löffler syndrome, and ascariasis more broadly, is seldom reported in the modern medical literature, though there is increasing awareness of this zoonosis in Europe [13] , [14] . Recent report of 14 cases of ascariasis on pig farms in Maine has called to light the importance of this pathogen in human pulmonary disease and the need for public health intervention.…”