A case of ectopic fascioliasis in the skin

Trop Doct. 2010 Oct;40(4):253-4. doi: 10.1258/td.2010.090445. Epub 2010 Sep 16.

Abstract

A four-year-old boy presented to the hospital with a four-month history of recurrent bouts of fever and abdominal pain. Half a month before being admitted to hospital, multiple red cutaneous nodules had emerged at the left epigastric region and a dark red serpentine track appeared under the skin at the same site. The day after the patient was admitted to the hospital, a living worm broke through the skin and appeared at one end of the subcutaneous track. The flatworm was identified as Fasciola hepatica in its juvenile stage. Eosinophilia was distinct in our patient and provides an important clue to diagnosing parasitosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Child, Preschool
  • Epidermal Cyst
  • Fasciola hepatica / isolation & purification*
  • Fascioliasis / complications
  • Fascioliasis / diagnosis*
  • Fascioliasis / parasitology
  • Fever / etiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Skin Diseases, Parasitic / complications
  • Skin Diseases, Parasitic / diagnosis*
  • Skin Diseases, Parasitic / parasitology