Helminths Flashcards
Most common helminthic infection
Ascaris lumbricoides –> roundworm
Symptoms of roundworm infection
Usually asymptomatic
Growth retardation
Pneumonitis
Intestinal obstruction
Hepatobiliary and pancreatic injury
Laboratory diagnosis for Ascaris lumbricoides
Bile stained eggs in stool
Treatment for Ascaris lumbricoides
Albendazole
Mebendazole
Possible symptoms of hookworm infection
Ground itch
Diarrhea
Vague abdominal pain
Colic
Nausea
Microcytic hypochromic anemia
Where do hookworms mature?
Jejunum
Where are adult roundworms found in the body?
Jejunum and middle ileum
Laboratory diagnosis for hookworm
Non-bile stained eggs in stool
Treatment for hookworm
Albendazole
Mebendazole
With iron therapy
Another name for ancylostoma duodenale and necator americanus
Hookworm
Larval forms of Strongyloides stercoralis
Rhabditiform
Filariform larvae
Infective form of Strongyloides stercoralis
Filariform larvae
Symptoms of disseminated strongyloidiasis
Severe diarrhea
Malabsorption
Paralytic ileus
Peritonitis
Meningitis
Brain abscess
Stool findings show actively motile rhabditiform and occasionally filariform larvae
Strongyloidiasis
Treatment for strongyloidiasis
Ivermectin
Abendazole
Most common helminth in US
Enterobius vermicularis –> pinworm
White slender nematode with a pointed tail that resides in the cecum, appendix, and ascending colon
Pinworm –> enterobius vermicularis
Treatment for pinworm
Mebendazole
Albendazole
Retreatment in 2 wks
Common name for Trichruis trichiura
Whipworm
Symptoms of heavy infection of Trichruis trichiura, often in children
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Appendicitis
Rectal prolapse
Possible growth retardation
Barrel shaped eggs in feces with presence of polar plugs in egg shell
Trichruis trichiura
Treatment of Trichruis trichiura
Albendazole
Mebendazole
Most frequently invaded muscles in trichinosis
Extraocular muscles of eye
Tongue
Deltoid and pectorals
Intercostal muscles and diaphragm
Complications of heavy infections of trichinosis
Severe neurologic symptoms –> psychosis, meningoencephalitis, CVA
Recommended treatment for severe trichinosis
Steroid plus thiabendazole or mebendazole
Helminth category of flat, fleshy, leaf-shaped worm with muscular oral and ventral suckers
Trematodes/flukes
Common liver fluke
Fasciola hepatica
Definitive host of Fasciola hepatica
Sheep and humans
Intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica
Snails and water vegetation
Mode of infection of Fasciola hepatica
Ingestion of metacercariae in water plants
Diagnosis by operculated eggs in stool
Fasciola hepatica
Treatment for common liver fluke
Praziquantel
Common name for Ophisthorchis (clonorchis) sinensis
Chinese liver fluke
Endemic areas for clonorchiasis
China
Japan
Korea
SE Asia
Transmission of Ophisthorchis sinensis
Ingestion of encysted larvae in uncooked fish
Complication of clonorchiasis
Inflammatory response causing hyperplasia and fibrosis of biliary tract leading to adenocarcinoma of bile duct
Common name for cestodes
Tapeworms
Common name of Taenia solium
Pork tapeworm
Common name of Taenia saginata
Beef tapeworm
Common name of echinococcus granulosus
Dog tapeworm
Common name of Diphyllobothrium latum
Fish tapeworm
Most frequent cestode infection in US
Taenia saginata –> beef tapeworm
Treatment for beef tapeworm
Niclosamide
Praziquantel
Symptoms of taeniasis
Abdominal discomfort
Chronic indigestion
Diarrhea
Causal organism of taeniasis
Taenia solium –> pork tapeworm
Causal organism of cysticercosis
Taenia solium –> pork tapeworm
Symptoms of cysticercosis
Hydrocephalus
Meningitis
CN damage
Seizures
Hyperactive reflexes
Visual defects
Treatment for taeniasis
Niclosamide
Treatment for cysticercosis
Albendazole plus prednisolone
Endemic areas for fish tapeworm
Scandinavia, northern Russia, Japan, Canada, north-central US
Source of fish tapeworm
Undercooked or pickled freshwater fish
Complication of fish tapeworm
Megaloblastic anemia due to competition for vit B12
Treatment for fish tapeworm
Praziquantel
Develop into large, fluid-filled, hydatid cysts in tissues. Slow-growing, space-filling lesions in liver, lungs, and brain.
Echinococcus granulosus –> dog tapeworm
Signs of liver cyst in dog tapeworm
RUQ pain
Hepatomegaly
Biliary rupture
Signs of lung cyst in dog tapeworm
Cough
Dyspnea
Chest pain
Complications of tissue cysts in dog tapeworm
Cyst ruptures releasing antigens
Dissemination and anaphylaxis
Treatment of dog tapeworm
Albendazole
