The present retrospective study analyzed the characteristics of strongyloidiasis in patients who were diagnosed at the Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Parasitology-Mycology, Toulouse, France. Sixty-nine file records were included in the study on the basis of a positive stool examination that used Baermann's method. The prominent epidemiological findings were the presence of former immigrants from Italy or Portugal, veterans from the 1st Indochina war, and autochthonous cases. Almost 1/4 of the patients were asymptomatic. Manifestations of skin allergy were the main clinical feature. Blood eosinophilia was present in 76.8% of the patients, and serum total IgE was ≥150 kIU/L in 79.7%. Immunodiagnosis was achieved from 1990 to 2001 by indirect immunofluorescence (IFAT) that was then replaced with ELISA, both methods using Strongyloides ratti filariform larvae. ELISA was found to be similar to IFAT in terms of specificity but exhibited a greater sensitivity. Patients were primarily treated with albendazole or ivermectin beginning in 1993. Forty-eight patients attended the follow-up consultation. Kinetics of the clinical picture and blood eosinophilia were found to be the most convenient parameters to assess the efficacy of anthelmintic therapy. In conclusion, strongyloidiasis remains a neglected disease in Southwestern France. The resolution of clinical features along with the kinetics of eosinophilia appeared to be the most appropriate parameters to check during the posttreatment follow-up.
Keywords: ELISA; Strongyloides ratti; clinical picture; eosinophilia; epidemiology; southwestern France; strongyloidiasis.