Data di Pubblicazione:
2013
Citazione:
An unexpected parasitosis in Italy / V. Giacomet, P. Erba, P. Nannini, S. Pisanelli, V. Fabiano, G. Ramponi, A.R. Benincaso, G.V. Zuccotti. ((Intervento presentato al 31. convegno ESPID Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases tenutosi a Milano : 28 maggio - 1 giugno nel 2013.
Abstract:
Background: Amoebiasis is a common disease in tropical areas, such as Africa, Central and South
America and India, most related with crowded living conditions and poor sanitation.
Methods: A 11-year-old Italian female was admitted in another hospital for persistent fever, unresponsive to
beta-lactam antibiotic treatment, after a brief holiday in Sardinia. Patient showed no diarrhea and vomiting.
Routine examinations, serology for EBV, CMV, Toxoplasmosis, Salmonella, Brucella, Mycoplasma,
Bartonella, Rickettsia as well as protein chain reaction (PCR) for meningococcus, pneumococcus,
Adenovirus, Heamophilus influenzae were negative. Tick and thin blood films for malaria and bacterial
cultures resulted negative, too. No evidence of Leishmaniasis in bone marrow aspirate was found. Chest
radiography and cardiac ultrasonography showed no abnormalities. An abdomen ultrasonography showed
celiac and hepatic lymphadenopathies and two hypoechoic lesions, suggestive of liver microabscesses.
Patient was admitted to the Infectious Disease Unit at our Pediatric Department. Serology for
Ecchinococcus, Schistosoma were negative. Amoeba Indirect Hemagglutination (IHA) resulted highly
positive (128 L/tit). A treatment with metronidazole for 10 days was performed and followed by paromomycin
for other 10 days, with progressively decreasing antibodies titre until reaching a negative value after 1
month. Moreover, several follow-up abdomen ultrasonographies showed a progressive reduction of hepatic
lesions until complete resolution after 3 months.
Conclusion: Amebiasis is a tropical disease caused by Entamoeba histolytica. Our case was unusual in its
presentation, since patient had no intestinal symptoms and no epidemiological data were suggestive of this
parasitosis. Ultrasonography of abdomen was essential for considering the diagnosis.
Tipologia IRIS:
14 - Intervento a convegno non pubblicato
Elenco autori:
V. Giacomet, P. Erba, P. Nannini, S. Pisanelli, V. Fabiano, G. Ramponi, A.R. Benincaso, G.V. Zuccotti
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