BACKGROUND Chronic infections with the nematode worm Strongyloides stercoralis can occur in former WWII Far East prisoners of war (FEPOWs). The condition may be asymptomatic, but frequently causes a characteristic urticarial 'larva currens' rash. Under conditions of immunosuppression (particularly systemic corticosteroid treatment) potentially fatal dissemination of larvae ('hyperinfection') ma...

PURPOSE Strongyloides stercoralis causes persistent and fatal disseminated infections in immunocompromised hosts. In this study, we aimed to determine the risk factors for acquiring strongyloidiasis and the associated morbidity in south India. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was carried out in two parts. This included a 6-month chart review of cases with strongyloidiasis and randomly selected...

Humans are fighting a grinding war against parasitic nematodes. More than 100 species of nematode parasites are known to infect humans. Additionally, 1.5 billion people are infected by soil-transmitted helminths worldwide that cause an annual disease burden of 5 million years lost due to disability (YLD) (1). This disease burden is greater than the annual disease burdens of malaria (4 million Y...

The hyperinfection syndrome (HS) caused by Strongyloides stercoralis has a high mortality rate (15% to 87%). A variety of risk factors and predisposing conditions have been described, including new immunosuppressive therapies; HTLV-1 infection; cadaveric transplantation; immune reconstitution syndrome; haematological malignancies (especially lymphoma); tuberculosis; malnutrition secondary to ch...