Infection with fully mature Corynosoma cf. validum causes ulcers in the human small intestine.
Corynosoma is a parasite that can normally be found in the intestinal tract of fish-eating mammals, particularly in seals and birds. The present case proposed that Corynosoma could attain full maturity in the human intestine. A 70-year-old female complained of abdominal pain. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a swelling of the intraperitoneal lymph nodes with no responsible lesion. Video capsule endoscopy and double-balloon endoscopy detected several ulcerations and one parasite in the ileum, which was tightly attached at the bottom of the ulcerations. The parasite was cylindrical and measured approximately 10 mm (long) x 3 mm (wide). Pathologically, the worm had a four-layered body wall and contained embryonated eggs. The sequences of the parasite-derived nuclear ribosomal DNA fragment and mitochondrial DNA fragment of cox1 were almost identical to those of Corynosoma validum. The patient's abdominal pain immediately improved after the administration of pyrantel pamoate (1,500 mg). Corynosoma was possibly the responsible disease in a patient who complained of abdominal pain and in whom no responsible lesion was detected by CT, gastroduodenoscopy or colonoscopy. Examinations of the small intestines should be aggressively performed in such cases.
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Keitaro
K
Takahashi
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Takahiro
T
Ito
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Tomonobu
T
Sato
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Mitsuru
M
Goto
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Toru
T
Kawamoto
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Akihiro
A
Fujinaga
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Nobuyuki
N
Yanagawa
Department of Gastroenterology, Asahikawa-Kosei General Hospital, Asahikawa, Japan.
Yoshinori
Y
Saito
Department of Parasitology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
Minoru
M
Nakao
Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan.
Hideo
H
Hasegawa
Division of Gastroenterology and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1 Midorigaoka-higashi, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, 078-8510, Japan. fjym@asahikawa-med.ac.jp.
Mikihiro
M
Fujiya
D000049:Acanthocephala / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D053704:Capsule Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014456:Ulcer / Q000469:parasitology*
Corynosoma; Parasite; Small intestine; Ulceration