Lung
Infectious
Parasitic
Strongyloides
Author: Elliot Weisenberg, M.D.
Last author update: 1 September 2011
Last staff update: 31 December 2020
Copyright: 2003-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed search: Strongyloides [title] pulmonary
Table of Contents
Clinical features | Diagrams / tables | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Cytology imagesCite this page: Weisenberg E. Strongyloides. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/lungnontumorstrongyloides.html. Accessed April 16th, 2024.
Clinical features
- Endemic in Southeastern United States, South America, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
- Infection occurs when larvae in soil penetrate the skin and travel to the lung via the venous circulation; the worms then travel up the trachea to the oropharynx and are swallowed setting up infection in the small intestine
- Female worms in the small intestinal mucosa produce eggs asexually (parthenogenesis) that are passed to the soil where they hatch to continue cycle of infection
- Larvae hatched in the intestines may penetrate the colonic mucosa to travel to the lung to reinitiate infection (autoinfection)
- Disease usually affects the gastrointestinal tract
- In immunocompromised patients, severe disease with large burden of parasites may occur; patients may present with alveolar hemorrhage (Prim Care Respir J 2009;18:337)
- May predispose to invasive infections caused by enteric organisms (Am J Clin Pathol 2007;128:622)
Diagrams / tables
Images hosted on other servers:
Life cycle
Microscopic (histologic) description
- In the lung, eosinphilic pneumonia with hemorrhage may occur
- Worms may be found in airways, alveoli and blood vessels
Microscopic (histologic) images
Case #133
Small bowel infection
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Small bowel infection
Cytology images
Contributed by anonymous
Bronchial wash
Pap stain
Diff-Quik
Images hosted on other servers:
Bronchial wash
BAL fluid
