title: Eosinophilic colitis associated with larvae of the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis.
abstract: Various helmintic parasites, most of which are uncommon in economically developed countries, can cause abdominal pain and eosinophilic inflammation of the bowel. A homosexual man presented with severe abdominal pain and haemorrhagic colitis, eosinophilic inflammation of the ileum and colon, and numerous unidentifiable larval nematodes in diarrhoeal stool. His symptoms resolved with anthelmintic treatment alone. Using comparative morphology and molecular cloning of nematode ribosomal RNA genes, we identified the parasites as larvae of the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis, which are rarely observed or associated with disease. Occult enterobiasis is widely prevalent and may be a cause of unexplained eosinophilic enterocolitis.
authors.affiliation: Harvard-Thorndike Laboratory, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: L X
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Upton
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Ash
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001483:Base Sequence; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000469:parasitology; D017229:Enterobiasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D004757:Enterobius / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004760:Enterocolitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes