Outbreak of parasitic gastroenteritis among travelers returning from Africa

Eosinophilia and intestinal infections with a trematode parasite developed in 18 of the 20 American tourists who traveled to Kenya and Tanzania; the fact that the two other tourists also had eosinophilia suggested that they too had been infested. Because no adult flukes were recovered, a specific identification could not be made, but the eggs we observed resembled those of an Echinostoma. Several tour members had mild, nonspecific abdominal complaints, but ten had moderately severe abdominal cramps and loose or watery stools. Treatment with praziquantel was associated with rapid symptomatic improvement, and after treatment no parasitic eggs were recovered from patients' stools.