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Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Alternative Therapy for Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Moving Cupping Along Meridians
Published on: September 27, 2024
[Strongyloides stercoralys as an unusual cause of COPD exacerbation]
María del Mar Ortiz Romero1, María Dolores León Martínez, María Angeles Muñoz Pérez
1Sección de Microbiología, Hospital General Reina Sofía, Murcia, España.
Abstract:
The nematode of the genus Strongyloides can persist in the body for long periods with asymptomatic eosinophilia as its only manifestation. If patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are also infected by this organism, altered cellular immunity or therapy with corticosteroids, which are commonly used to treat COPD exacerbations, could lead to hyperinfection and dissemination of the larvae from the gastrointestinal tract to the bloodstream. Thus, the unexpected presence of enteric bacteria in the context of a nonsevere COPD exacerbation with unexplained chronic eosinophilia should lead us to search for rhabditiform larvae in stool.
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