%0 Journal Article
%T Acute appendicitis secondary to Enterobius vermicularis infection in a middle-aged man: a case report
%A Stavros Panidis
%A Daniel Paramythiotis
%A Dimitris Panagiotou
%A Georgios Batsis
%A Spyridon Salonikidis
%A Vassiliki Kaloutsi
%A Antonios Michalopoulos
%J Journal of Medical Case Reports
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1752-1947-5-559
%X A Caucasian 52-year-old man was referred to our Emergency Department with acute abdominal pain in his right lower quadrant. The physical and laboratory examination revealed right iliac fossa tenderness and leukocytosis with neutrophilia. An open appendectomy was performed. The pathological examination showed the lumen containing pinworms. Two oral doses of mebendazole were administered postoperatively. The follow-up to date was without incident and he was free of symptoms one year after the operation.The finding of E. vermicularis in appendectomy pathological specimens is infrequent. Parasitic infections rarely cause acute appendicitis, especially in adults.One should keep in mind that the clinical signs of intestinal parasite infection may mimic acute appendicitis, although rare. A careful evaluation of symptoms such as pruritus ani, or eosinophilia on laboratory examination, could prevent unnecessary appendectomies.Enterobius vermicularis, commonly known as pinworm or threadworm, is responsible for a widespread parasitic infection estimated to affect up to 209 million people worldwide [1]. Around 4% to 28% of children worldwide are reported to be infected [2-6]. Pinworms measure approximately 10 mm in length and live with their heads embedded in the right hemicolon and adjacent bowel [7]. Infection via the fecal-oral route is the most common route of human transfer, while eggs may remain viable for two to three weeks on clothing and bedding, facilitating easy spread among family members and groups of children [1].E. vermicularis infection is usually asymptomatic. The most common symptom is pruritus in the perianal region, but infestation may also present with ileocolitis, enterocutaneous fistula, urinary tract infection, mesenteric abscesses, salpingitis and appendicitis [8]. The presence of pinworms in the appendix has been shown to cause symptoms mimicking appendicitis or appendiceal 'colic' [9-11] but frequently without any histological evidence of acute inflam
%U http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/559