Chronic intestinal schistosomiasis caused by co-infection with Schistosoma intercalatum and Schistosoma mansoni

Abstract

The Grand Round concerns a 24-year-old man from Zimbabwe who was studying and living in Poland. The patient had been complaining of abdominal pain, fatigue, alternating diarrhoea and constipation, and presence of blood in his stool for 3 years. The patient had the following diagnostic tests: colonoscopy, CT scan, histopathology, and parasitological and molecular tests. Results of the examinations showed that the cause of the patient's complaints was chronic intestinal schistosomiasis due to the co-infection with Schistosoma intercalatum and Schistosoma mansoni. The patient had two cycles of praziquantel therapy (Biltricide) and responded well to the treatment. In the Grand Round, we describe full diagnostics as well as clinical and therapeutic management in the patient with S intercalatum and S mansoni co-infection. This case allows us to draw attention to cases of forgotten chronic tropical diseases (including rare ones) in patients from regions with a high endemic index staying in non-endemic regions of the world for a long time. Co-infection with S intercalatum and S mansoni should be considered as a very rare clinical case.