[Atypical presentations of strongyloidiasis: a report of 8 cases]

Abstract

Eight clinical cases of patients with an atypical strongyloidiasis are reported. The clinical notes are reviewed, the nematode is demonstrated by serial coproparasitologic modified Baermann's method and in some cases, the parasite is found by direct test of sputum or enterotest. In all cases, the main factor has been the immunological deficiency being this nutritional, neoplasia, autoimmune disease, immunosuppression therapy, although the most frequent is the moderate to severe, nutritional failure, differing with the foreign literature. All of them had a good clinical evolution using Albendazole in high doses or Ivermectin. It is concluded that systemic strongyloidiasis has a clear physiopathological base in relation to cellular immunodeficiency and this must be carefully search in our patients, where the chronic autoinfection is a frequent clinical status, and there are immersed in some type of immunodeficiency, in our environment this is usually nutritional.