A case of intestinal capillariasis in the Republic of Korea

In 1991, we observed a Korean man infected by Capillaria philippinensis who had no history of traveling in known endemic areas. He had year-long diarrhea with severe loss of body weight. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and eating raw meat of game animals and fish. An open full-thickness biopsy of the ileum showed flat mucosal surface and sections of the round worm, and fecal examination revealed numerous elliptical helminth eggs. The worms and eggs were consistent with features of C. philippinensis. He was treated with albendazole and was cured. This is the first known case of intestinal capillariasis in the Republic of Korea.