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Appendicitis associated with presence of Schistosoma haematobium eggs: an unusual pathology for Europe
Author(s) -
RIVASI FRANCESCO,
PAMPIGLIONE SILVIO
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2006.apm_314.x
Subject(s) - appendicitis , schistosoma haematobium , appendix , helminthiasis , acute appendicitis , helminths , schistosoma , pathology , schistosomiasis , biology , general surgery , medicine , immunology , schistosoma mansoni , paleontology
Three cases of appendicitis associated with presence of Schistosoma haematobium eggs in the appendix tissue are reported. The patients (two males and one female) were all from Ghana and had immigrated to Italy a few years previously. It is difficult to attribute the cause of the appendicitis to the parasite; it is more probable that the appendicular location of the eggs occurred accidentally many years earlier in an endemic zone of the country of origin, and that recently bacterial agents were able to provoke the present appendicitis. Since it is probable that with the increase in the number of immigrants to Europe from endemic countries (sub‐Saharan Africa in particular) other similar cases may occur, it is important that the surgeon and the pathologist be aware of this pathology, which has so far been considered unusual.