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This is the story of a 30 year old female patient who had recurrent abdominal pain for 3-4 months with no other obvious signs or symptoms. Her basic workup was normal. She underwent upper GI endoscopy. What is Ascariasis? Ascariasis is an infection of the human intestine caused by a worm or parasite called Ascaris lumbricoides (A. lumbricoides), which is a species of parasites called roundworms. Ascariasis is the commonest human parasitic intestinal infection. About 10% of the developing world which includes population of almost all of the south Asian countries, is infected with intestinal worms, according to the records of World Health Organization (WHO). Ascariasis is most common in places without modern sanitation. It’s transmitted through uncooked, or non-sterile/boiled food and water. What causes Ascariasis?  You can become infected with ascariasis after ingesting the eggs of the A. lumbricoides roundworm by any mean. The eggs are usually found in soil contaminated by...

In this article we will discuss the ultrasonic picture of amoebic liver abscess and its percutaneous aspiration. A 40 year old male patient presented to medical OPD, complaining of severe right hypochondrial pain, high grade fever, vomiting, generalized weakness and anorexia. He had been suffering from these symptoms since last 10 days. He went to several doctor and took oral medication (Oral ciprofloxacin 500mg x BD and Tab Metronidazole 400mg x TDS for 5 days), but his symptoms didn’t improve. He came to Capital Hospital Islamabad where his blood investigations were done which showed leukocytosis and high level of liver enzymes. Latter on his ultrasound was planned which was done by Dr. Siddique Akbar Satti, consultant physician and head of medical department himself. On the ultrasound a single large liver abscess was seen. Below is the ultrasonic view of his liver. In the above ultrasonic view you can see a large ovoid cavity. This is liver abscess. “ Unlike pyogenic liver abscesses...

  Beef tapeworm also called Taenia saginata is a long segmented tape like worm. It tends to grow in length up to 10 meters. It is white in color and its body consists of a head, a neck and segments (proglottids). Its eggs are liberated by rupture of ripe proglottids. Eggs are oval and brown in color. Life cycle of Beef tapeworm. The definitive host of tapeworm is human. The tapeworm infection is more common in rural environment. Life cycle starts with the passage of eggs along with the feces of definitive host (man) on ground. These eggs contaminate the grass and grazing site. When an intermediate host, usually a cow feeds on this contaminated grass, the eggs enter its alimentary canal. In Cattle: In the alimentary canal of host, eggs rupture and oncospheres are liberated. These oncospheres penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the portal blood circulation. Via portal circulation they go to liver, right heart and then to the lungs. From the lungs they reach the l...

Difference between Amoebic and Bacillary Dysentery Amoebic Dysentery Bacillary Dysentery Causative Agents of Amoebic and Bacillary Dysentery Amoebic Dysentery is caused by Entamoeba histolytica Bacillary Dysentery is caused by Shigella species and Enterohemorrhagic E. coli Naked eye or Macroscopic Examination of Stool Frequency of stools in bacillary and amoebic dysentery In Amoebic dysentery patient usually, have 6-8 episodes of loose motions per day In bacillary dysentery patient usually complains of more than 10 episodes of bloody diarrhoea Amount of stools in amoebic and bacillary dysentery The amount of stool is copious in case of amoebic dysentery Patient complains of relatively small more frequent episodes of bloody diarrhoea in bacillary dysentery Colour of stools in bacillary and amoebic dysentery In Amoebic dysentery the colour of stool is dark red, that’s why we ask for the colour of stool while taki...

Giardia lamblia is a parasite which is found in 30% of developing countries and 3-7% of United States Population. Thus, living standards have a definite effect on the prevalence of Giardiasis. In this article we will discuss, the morphology of Giardia lamblia, its life cycle, habitat, transmission, how does Giardia cause disease, Clinical signs and symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. Morphology of Giardia lamblia 1. Morphology of Trophozoite Shape: It has a pear-like shape. Nuclei: It contains two nuclei, one on each side of the body Flagella: It has four pairs of flagella, which help in locomotion. Sucking Disc: It has a circular sucking disc, which is situated on the ventral surface. Giardia attaches to the intestinal wall with the help of this sucking disc. 2. Morphology of Giardia Cyst It is oval in shape and contains four nuclei. Each organism of giardia contains two nuclei, so when a cyst hatches it releases two trophozoites. Life Cycle of Giardia Lamblia Giardia lamblia...

Entamoeba histolytica is an endo-parasite and it causes two main diseases in humans, these are, amoebic dysentery and liver abscess. Morphology of Entamoeba histolytica It has two morphological forms i.e, trophozoite form and cyst form. trophozoite is feeding, growing, invading and disease causing form of E. histolytica and it is present inside the body, while cyst form is infective form of E. histolytica that is present in external environment at contaminated sites. It release trophozoites when it reaches intestine through oral route. Morphology of trophozoites Trophozoite doesn’t has a fixed shape, its shape constantly changes due to constantly changing position. Its cytoplasm is granular and may contain red cells. It moves slowly and it has special structure called pseudopodia that help in its movement. It is found in diarrheal stool, intestine and extra-intestinal lesions e.g., liver abscess. Morphology of E. histolytica cysts. Cysts are rounded, and it is surrounded by...

Parasite: A parasite is a living organism which gets nutrition and protection from another organism where it lives. Parasites enter into the human body through mouth, skin and genitalia. In this article, we will generally discuss the types and classification of parasites. It is important from an academic point of view. Those parasites are harmful, which derives their nutrition and other benefits from the host and host get nothing in return but suffers from some injury. Types of Parasites Ecto-parasite: An ectoparasite lives outside on the surface of the body of the host. Endo-parasite: An endo-parasite lives inside the body of the host, it lives in the blood, tissues, body cavities, digestive tract or other organs. Temporary parasite: A temporary parasite visits its host for a short period of time. Permanent parasite: Permanent parasite lives its whole life in the host. Facultative parasite: A facultative parasite can live both independently and dependently. It lives in the...

It is a systemic mycosis whose causal agent fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. It is the most common mycosis in South America, and Brazil predominates in the South and Southeast. Contamination occurs through the skin or aspiration. To be inhaled, fungi reach the alveoli, where they are transformed into yeast, which are the infective forms. Resistance to infection is determined by the host's ability to slow the spread fungal, and cellular immune response to the primary defence mechanism. Signs and Symptoms: The most affected patients are white males with a history of work in the field. Pulmonary involvement is often chronic, localized or generalized. Besides the lungs, other organs can be affected, such as skin, mucous membranes, bones, lymph nodes, larynx, brain, digestive, urogenital and adrenal. Clinically, patients present with dyspnea (shortness of breath), dry or productive cough, expectoration, hemoptysis (blood) and chest pain. Some patients also report weight los...