Intestinal capillariasis

What started out as an isolated report of an unknown intestinal parasitic disease has emerged as another disease of worldwide significance. Capillaria philippinensis was found in the intestines of a Filipino who suffered from an intractable diarrhoea and died in 1963. A few years later epidemics of intestinal cappillariasis erupted and spread to many parts of the Philippines. Thailand was also found to be endemic for the disease and in recent years, a few case reports have come from Japan, Iran and Egypt too. Since small freshwater and brackish water fish are considered to be the natural intermediate hosts, and fish-eating birds potential definitive hosts, John Cross suggests that the spread of the parasite may be attributable to migratory birds.