Korean J Parasitol.  2007 Jun;45(2):145-148. 10.3347/kjp.2007.45.2.145.

A case of Moniliformis moniliformis (Acanthocephala) infection in Iran

• Berenji F
• Fata A
• Hosseininejad Z

• KMID: 1720540
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2007.45.2.145

Abstract

Only a few cases of Acanthocephala infections have been reported in humans, and Moniliformis moniliformis is the most common species around the world. We report here a case of infection with M. moniliformis, which passed in the stool of a 2-year-old girl in Iran. The patient had abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and facial edema. According to her mother, the patient had habit of eating dirt and once a cockroach was discovered in her mouth. In stool examination, eggs of M. moniliformis were not found. She was treated with levamisole and the clinical symptoms reduced within 2 weeks. The specimen contained 2 pieces of a female worm with a total length of 148 mm lacking the posterior end. The spiral musculature of the proboscis receptacle and the shape of the trunk allowed its generic determination. Previously 2 cases of M. moniliformis infection were reported in Iran. This is the 3rd case of M. moniliformis infection in Iran.

Keyword

Acanthocephala; Moniliformis moniliformis; beetle; cockroach; Iran

MeSH Terms

Animals
Anthelmintics/therapeutic use
Child, Preschool
Feces/parasitology
Female
Helminthiasis/drug therapy/*parasitology/pathology
Humans
Iran
Levamisole/therapeutic use
Moniliformis/anatomy & histology/*isolation & purification