title: Clinical and epidemiologic features of strongyloidiasis. A prospective study in rural Tennessee.
abstract: Hospitalized and domiciliary patients were studied to determine the incidence of the endemic nematode Strongyloides stercoralls in stool samples. Strongyloides was found in 14 (6.1%) of 229 hospitalized patients and in nine (2.6%) of 346 domiciliary patients. Clinical symptoms, laboratory data, and underlying diseases were compared for stool-positive and stool-negative patients. Infected patients were more likely to complain of abdominal bloating. They had a higher incidence of eosinophilia and guaiac-positive stools. They were more likely to have been treated with corticosteroids, cimetidine, and antacids. Efficacy of treatment with thiabendazole was studied in all stool-positive patients; a relapse rate of 15% was noted with standard thiabendazole therapy.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012424:Rural Population; D013321:Strongyloides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D013714:Tennessee; D013827:Thiabendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014768:Virginia
chemical_list: D013827:Thiabendazole