A series on intestinal strongyloidiasis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts

Strongyloidiasis, endemic in tropical areas, may be asymptomatic in immunocompetent subjects or may cause potentially fatal hyper-infection in immunocompromised patients.

Of the 13,885 patients referred to the parasitology laboratory at our tertiary care referral center for stool microscopy, 15 were diagnosed as strongyloidiasis over a 6 year period. We assessed these patients retrospectively.

Most patients were young (median age 32 years, range 3-66) males (12, 80%). Seven patients (46.6%) were immunocompromised. All patients were symptomatic, and symptoms included chronic diarrhea (4, 26.7%), acute diarrhea (1,6.7%), abdominal pain (6, 40%), weight loss (3, 20%), cough (2, 13.33%), vomiting (1, 6.7%), anemia (10, 66.7%) and eosinophilia (3, 20%). Thirteen patients (86.6%) were diagnosed on first stool microscopy. Duodenal biopsy showed normal histology in twelve (80%) and partial villous atrophy in one (6.7%) patient. Stool microscopy also revealed giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis in one patient each. Nine patients responded well to ivermectin and albendazole, one died and five were lost to follow-up.

In endemic areas, even immunocompetent subjects may suffer from symptomatic strongyloidiasis and associated eosinophilia is uncommon.