title: Abdominal angiostrongyliasis: report of two cases with different clinical presentations.
abstract: Abdominal angiostrongyliasis is a sporadic infectious disease caused by the nematode Angiostrongylus costaricensis. It usually presents as acute abdomen, secondary to mesenteric ischemia, and pronounced eosinophilia. In some cases its course is insidious and transient, and the diagnosis is suspicious. The disease is confirmed by the detection of A. costaricensis elements in surgical specimen. The treatment is supportive, with avoidance of antihelminthic administration due to a possible erratic migration followed by worsening of the disease. We report two cases, both with intense eosinophilia and serum IgG-ELISA positive to A. costaricensis. The first case presented ileal perforation and was surgically treated. The second one showed hepatic nodules at ultrasound and was only symptomatically treated, evolving to an apparent protracted resolution. These two cases exemplify different clinical forms of the disease, one of them with liver involvement.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, Universidade de Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rubens
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Roberta Martins
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Dequi
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peruzzo
authors.forename: Paulo Moacir
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.forename: Errol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fornari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017185:Angiostrongylus cantonensis / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007077:Ileal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy; D008109:Liver Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G