Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

A Rare Diagnosis Of Strongyloides Stercoralis In The Pleural Cavity, Fatemeh Rhana Mousavi, Emon Alavi, Nick A. Hirad

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth that causes strongyloidiasis, a chronic parasitic infection in humans. S. stercoralis is one of several worm species that cause soil-transmitted helminthiasis, a neglected tropical disease. Herein, we discuss a 78-year-old female residing in a nursing home presenting with abdominal pain and shortness of breath. During a thoracentesis, physicians found multiple rhabditoid larvae consistent with S. stercoralis. However, before the procedure, a serial assessment of stool sample was performed and failed to demonstrate a parasitic infestation. Many of those infected with S. stercoralis are asymptomatic. Lack of symptoms and low sensitivity in traditional parasitological …