On episode 23 of the podcast This Week in Parasitism, Vincent and Dickson review the life cycle and pathogenesis of the world’s most unusual parasite, Strongyloides stercoralis.
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14 thoughts on “TWiP 23: Strongyloides stercoralis, a most unusual parasite”
Scigirl2010
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011 Feb 8;5(2):e955. [In-Data-Review] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000955
A coproantigen diagnostic test for strongyloides infection.
Sykes AM, McCarthy JS.
Clinical Tropical Medicine Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia.
Dickson – I’m pretty sure I have strongyloides stercoralis and I’m really scared. Hopefully you will tell me it is something else? Sores all over, itchy, blurry vision, cough, itchy eyes, nose, ears. Strange pain in upper jaw. I’ve taken ivermectin 3x and they are still coming out of my skin – eggs worms and sores all over me. I have direct microscopy of skin showing the worms (see photos – direct microscopy of skin). The large worms are actually very tiny. They are at 150x and then blown up even larger. I thought they were clothing fibers but they aren’t. After enlarging the worms are aparrent. The sores don’t heal. Worms in my urine and stool. My boyfriends late wife was a transplant patient. After being with with him I got a rash all over. This is not scabies. I wish it was! What is strange is that I was having a reaction to wheat so I stopped eating it. I think my immune system down regulated because of stopping the wheat. Body aches went completely away. I think the worms mobilized and moved out of muscle tissue and intestines to my skin because of this. Â Clutching at straws here. I’m scared because it’s been 5 months with this. What do I do? Who do I see? My doctor doesn’t know anything about parasites. Please help.Â
Danimal
Have u tried treating this yet? I to have this and feel so frustrated about it. Its so contagious its a shame its a living nightmare. DanimalP719@gmail.com email meanout it sometime.
WWMD
Sharon,
I have been suffering the exact same thing. When I go to doctors they just have a blank stare. If you have had any luck in diagnosis let me know please. I feel like I’m in another world that I can take pics like this into doctors and am dismissed After listening to this pod cast I get it now. Doctors doing such important stuff as transplants and do see giving ivermectin just incase . It’s like nutrition they don’t even study it. Americans don’t even want to hear the word parasites
Janice Turcotte
I believe I have it too. Doctors in Canada and US deny parasites. It is almost criminal. I went to one of the top doctors in the medical system in Canada. He has a number of medical labs run by the province and other reporting bodies. He gave me a prescription in one hand for pimozide and another prescription which reads that Every morning when I wake up I will say to myself that I have no parasites and Dr. So and So says so and he has been practicing for 35 years.” Well my family and I had a good laugh over that. I travelled so far to see that doctor about my belief that I have strongyloides based on pretty serious gut paraslysis, lung and coughing problems that went on for months. and years etc. etc. History will judge these doctors. But how do I know there may be a doctor to help with the next hyperinfection. I haven’t met one yet. It is very scary to try to treat this alone without the drugs. As I say I believe it is criminal.
Janice Turcotte
I should mention the pimozide prescription is an anti-psychotic drug. Isn’t that terrible. I am just fine and healthy, thank you. (except for the paraistes) that is no way to treat people who think they have parasites.
gratatt
I have strongyloides, and got hyperinfected due to being given steroids for a shoulder infection. I found out about these because they migrated to my right eye and are still there causing trouble. It is prevalent on one side of my body, as I have read is common. I have no idea how I got it, but I believe I have had it most of my life, as I grew up in the southern U.S. where it is endemic. I have taken a 6-week course of Ivermectin along with Albendazole during the first two weeks. I tried to do the entire protocol with the second two weeks of ABZ, but I had such horrible pain in my liver and gut from it, I had to quit and just carry forward with the Ivermectin. It’s still not dead, and I’m still having problems with my eyes. I use a solution of 1 drop of 5% Lugol’s iodine to 2 oz. of distilled water to control it along with 2 ozs. of virgin coconut oil with a drop of Lugol’s. It controls it, but doesn’t get rid of it. I have lupus, which makes it even harder to get rid of of. And here is the rub — doctors can’t find it in my stool samples and only “suspect” it because of a reaction in an ELISA test. I have to take veterinary medicines to control it. I’m trying to eradicate it in my gut by eating diatomaceous earth, but it is everywhere in my body, and stores itself in cysts everywhere, so I know it will eventually kill me.
gratatt
I find this extremely annoying to listen to because Vincent keeps interrupting the guest, making it very difficult to follow. Also, PLEASE let the guest TALK!!! This is a topic important to me, and if it wasn’t, I would have stopped listening during the first 5 minutes.
patience
I have strongyloides as well. I would like to point out to physicians who may be reading this, that even with a low serology count, one can have a disseminated infection. I also have difficulty with my eyes.
But we just have to keep going on. We must live.
Take long courses of veterinary medicines, protect your liver with Milk Thistle. Oil your body vigourously every night before bed, to get rid of disagreeable feeling on skin. My skin rejects small grey 5 mm rods. Also longer string-like material, up to 2 cm. I also never had any findings in stool samples, only a serology. To doctors, please treat strongyloides when you suspect it. Do not wait for a positive serology. Your job is to cure people, not to be sure. Help us.
Kellie Bonnici
For those of you not able to get help from your regular doctor, ask for a referral to (or just go see, if you have that option) a tropical medicine specialist. They are familiar with a much larger range of pathogens than a general practitioner.
jlee
I agree. Hard to follow with the constant interruptions.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011 Feb 8;5(2):e955. [In-Data-Review] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000955
A coproantigen diagnostic test for strongyloides infection.
Sykes AM, McCarthy JS.
Clinical Tropical Medicine Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia.
Có 4 nguồn nhiá»…m chÃnh để liệt kê nhÆ°: : KST lây qua đất thì phổ biến có giun móc, giun lÆ°Æ¡n, KST lây qua nÆ°á»›c nhÆ° Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium sp, Balantidium coli, Fasciola hepatica (sán lá gan), Angiostrongylus, Strongyloides stercoralis, …
Có 4 nguồn nhiá»…m chÃnh để liệt kê nhÆ°: : KST lây qua đất thì phổ biến có giun móc, giun lÆ°Æ¡n, KST lây qua nÆ°á»›c nhÆ° Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium sp, Balantidium coli, Fasciola hepatica (sán lá gan), Angiostrongylus, Strongyloides stercoralis, ..
Có 4 nguồn nhiá»…m chÃnh để liệt kê nhÆ°: : KST lây qua đất thì phổ biến có giun móc, giun lÆ°Æ¡n, KST lây qua nÆ°á»›c nhÆ° Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium sp, Balantidium coli, Fasciola hepatica (sán lá gan), Angiostrongylus, Strongyloides stercoralis, …
Dickson – I’m pretty sure I have strongyloides stercoralis and I’m really scared. Hopefully you will tell me it is something else? Sores all over, itchy, blurry vision, cough, itchy eyes, nose, ears. Strange pain in upper jaw. I’ve taken ivermectin 3x and they are still coming out of my skin – eggs worms and sores all over me. I have direct microscopy of skin showing the worms (see photos – direct microscopy of skin). The large worms are actually very tiny. They are at 150x and then blown up even larger. I thought they were clothing fibers but they aren’t. After enlarging the worms are aparrent. The sores don’t heal. Worms in my urine and stool. My boyfriends late wife was a transplant patient. After being with with him I got a rash all over. This is not scabies. I wish it was! What is strange is that I was having a reaction to wheat so I stopped eating it. I think my immune system down regulated because of stopping the wheat. Body aches went completely away. I think the worms mobilized and moved out of muscle tissue and intestines to my skin because of this. Â Clutching at straws here. I’m scared because it’s been 5 months with this. What do I do? Who do I see? My doctor doesn’t know anything about parasites. Please help.Â
Have u tried treating this yet? I to have this and feel so frustrated about it. Its so contagious its a shame its a living nightmare. DanimalP719@gmail.com email meanout it sometime.
Sharon,
I have been suffering the exact same thing. When I go to doctors they just have a blank stare. If you have had any luck in diagnosis let me know please. I feel like I’m in another world that I can take pics like this into doctors and am dismissed After listening to this pod cast I get it now. Doctors doing such important stuff as transplants and do see giving ivermectin just incase . It’s like nutrition they don’t even study it. Americans don’t even want to hear the word parasites
I believe I have it too. Doctors in Canada and US deny parasites. It is almost criminal. I went to one of the top doctors in the medical system in Canada. He has a number of medical labs run by the province and other reporting bodies. He gave me a prescription in one hand for pimozide and another prescription which reads that Every morning when I wake up I will say to myself that I have no parasites and Dr. So and So says so and he has been practicing for 35 years.” Well my family and I had a good laugh over that. I travelled so far to see that doctor about my belief that I have strongyloides based on pretty serious gut paraslysis, lung and coughing problems that went on for months. and years etc. etc. History will judge these doctors. But how do I know there may be a doctor to help with the next hyperinfection. I haven’t met one yet. It is very scary to try to treat this alone without the drugs. As I say I believe it is criminal.
I should mention the pimozide prescription is an anti-psychotic drug. Isn’t that terrible. I am just fine and healthy, thank you. (except for the paraistes) that is no way to treat people who think they have parasites.
I have strongyloides, and got hyperinfected due to being given steroids for a shoulder infection. I found out about these because they migrated to my right eye and are still there causing trouble. It is prevalent on one side of my body, as I have read is common. I have no idea how I got it, but I believe I have had it most of my life, as I grew up in the southern U.S. where it is endemic. I have taken a 6-week course of Ivermectin along with Albendazole during the first two weeks. I tried to do the entire protocol with the second two weeks of ABZ, but I had such horrible pain in my liver and gut from it, I had to quit and just carry forward with the Ivermectin. It’s still not dead, and I’m still having problems with my eyes. I use a solution of 1 drop of 5% Lugol’s iodine to 2 oz. of distilled water to control it along with 2 ozs. of virgin coconut oil with a drop of Lugol’s. It controls it, but doesn’t get rid of it. I have lupus, which makes it even harder to get rid of of. And here is the rub — doctors can’t find it in my stool samples and only “suspect” it because of a reaction in an ELISA test. I have to take veterinary medicines to control it. I’m trying to eradicate it in my gut by eating diatomaceous earth, but it is everywhere in my body, and stores itself in cysts everywhere, so I know it will eventually kill me.
I find this extremely annoying to listen to because Vincent keeps interrupting the guest, making it very difficult to follow. Also, PLEASE let the guest TALK!!! This is a topic important to me, and if it wasn’t, I would have stopped listening during the first 5 minutes.
I have strongyloides as well. I would like to point out to physicians who may be reading this, that even with a low serology count, one can have a disseminated infection. I also have difficulty with my eyes.
But we just have to keep going on. We must live.
Take long courses of veterinary medicines, protect your liver with Milk Thistle. Oil your body vigourously every night before bed, to get rid of disagreeable feeling on skin. My skin rejects small grey 5 mm rods. Also longer string-like material, up to 2 cm. I also never had any findings in stool samples, only a serology. To doctors, please treat strongyloides when you suspect it. Do not wait for a positive serology. Your job is to cure people, not to be sure. Help us.
For those of you not able to get help from your regular doctor, ask for a referral to (or just go see, if you have that option) a tropical medicine specialist. They are familiar with a much larger range of pathogens than a general practitioner.
I agree. Hard to follow with the constant interruptions.