title: A series on intestinal strongyloidiasis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Strongyloidiasis, endemic in tropical areas, may be asymptomatic in immunocompetent subjects or may cause potentially fatal hyper-infection in immunocompromised patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 13,885 patients referred to the parasitology laboratory at our tertiary care referral center for stool microscopy, 15 were diagnosed as strongyloidiasis over a 6 year period. We assessed these patients retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most patients were young (median age 32 years, range 3-66) males (12, 80%). Seven patients (46.6%) were immunocompromised. All patients were symptomatic, and symptoms included chronic diarrhea (4, 26.7%), acute diarrhea (1,6.7%), abdominal pain (6, 40%), weight loss (3, 20%), cough (2, 13.33%), vomiting (1, 6.7%), anemia (10, 66.7%) and eosinophilia (3, 20%). Thirteen patients (86.6%) were diagnosed on first stool microscopy. Duodenal biopsy showed normal histology in twelve (80%) and partial villous atrophy in one (6.7%) patient. Stool microscopy also revealed giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis in one patient each. Nine patients responded well to ivermectin and albendazole, one died and five were lost to follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In endemic areas, even immunocompetent subjects may suffer from symptomatic strongyloidiasis and associated eosinophilia is uncommon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow , India. ujjalaghoshal@yahoo.co.in
authors.forename: Ujjala
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ghoshal
authors.forename: Sonali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khanduja
authors.forename: Nabamita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaudhury
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gangwar
authors.forename: Uday C
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Ghoshal
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000469:parasitology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000740:Anemia / Q000469:parasitology; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003371:Cough / Q000469:parasitology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000469:parasitology; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000469:parasitology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000469:parasitology; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D007559:Ivermectin; D015766:Albendazole