title: A case of fatal hyperinfective strongyloidiasis with discovery of autoinfective filariform larvae in sputum.
abstract: The autoinfective filariform larva of Strongyloides stercoralis causes hyperinfection in immunosuppressed hosts. Here we report on the case of a male patient who was admitted to the emergency room at Gwangju Veterans Hospital with a complaint of dyspnea, and who was receiving corticosteroid therapy for asthma. Many slender larvae of S. stercoralis with a notched tail were detected in Papanicolaou stained sputum. They measured 269 +/- 21.2 microm in length and 11 +/- 0.6 microm in width. The esophagus extended nearly half of the body length. The larvae were identified putatively as autoinfective third-stage filariform larvae, and their presence was fatal. The autoinfective filariform larva of S. stercoralis has not been previously reported in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Seonam University, Namwon, Korea. jinkim@seonam.ac.kr
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Hyang-Mi
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Min-Sik
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Sun-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jong-Cheol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Im
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D013183:Sputum; D013321:Strongyloides / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000209:etiology*; D015163:Superinfection / Q000469:parasitology*