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Acute schistosomiasis in paediatric travellers and comparison with their companion adults

Shira Rabinowicz1,2, Eyal Leshem2,3, Eli Schwartz2,3

  • 1Paediatric Neurology Unit, Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.

Journal of Travel Medicine
|January 5, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Acute schistosomiasis in children can occur after brief freshwater exposure, with high infection rates. While severity is comparable to adults, children experience less fatigue and lower eosinophil counts, indicating a need for clinical suspicion in pediatric travelers.

Area of Science:

  • Tropical Medicine
  • Parasitology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Acute schistosomiasis is a multi-systemic hypersensitivity reaction in non-immune travelers.
  • Limited data exists on acute schistosomiasis presentation and outcomes in children.
  • This study addresses the knowledge gap by describing pediatric cases and comparing them to adults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the clinical presentation and outcomes of acute schistosomiasis in pediatric travelers.
  • To compare the manifestations and severity of acute schistosomiasis in children versus adults.
  • To inform clinical suspicion and diagnosis of schistosomiasis in traveling children.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of pediatric travelers (0-18 years) diagnosed with schistosomiasis.
  • Comparison of findings with adult travelers from the same travel groups.
  • Data collected included travel history, symptoms, laboratory results, and treatment.

Main Results:

  • 18 children and 24 adults were infected, with a 90% infection rate among exposed travelers.
  • Common symptoms in children included respiratory issues (72%), eosinophilia (72%), and fever (61%).
  • Children reported significantly less fatigue (33% vs. 71%) and had lower median eosinophil counts (1045 vs. 2900 cells/μl) compared to adults.

Conclusions:

  • Children can develop acute schistosomiasis after short exposure to contaminated freshwater, with high infection rates.
  • Disease severity appears similar to adults, but with distinct symptom profiles (less fatigue, lower eosinophilia).
  • Acute schistosomiasis should be suspected in children with multi-systemic illness or asymptomatic cases with relevant travel history.
Abstract

Keywords:
Acute schistosomiasischildrenkatayama syndrometraveltropical disease

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