OESOPHAGOSTOMUM INFECTIONS IN HUMANS

Oesophagostomum spp are normally found as nematode parasites of rumina nts, pigs and monkeys. Occasionally humans are involved. In the past d ecade it became clear that, in some pal ts of Africa, humans are adequ ate final hosts. In those areas, prevalences of infection are high and morbidity is significant. The presence of lumen-dwelling adult worms, which no not seem to cause a great deal of pathology, can be demonstr ated through coproculture. The presence of immature worms, encapsulate d in nodules and responsible for pathology, on the other hand, is more difficult to confirm. I is not known what factors limit the distribut ion of endemic human oesophagostomiasis to a small focus in West Afric a. The relationship between the 'helminthomas' described a long time a go in Uganda and the human Oesophagostomum infections in West Africa i s unclear and it remains a mystery how humans get infected so effectiv ely by ingesting L3 larvae. In this overview Ton Polderman and Coby Bl otkamp give an account of what is known and what is still to be elucid ated in human Oesophagostomum infections.