Strongyloidiasis

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Digestive system organs

Strongyloidiasis, creeping eruption on the back

Strongyloidiasis is an infection caused by the roundworm Strongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis).

S. stercoralis is a roundworm that is fairly common in warm, moist areas. Rarely, it can be found as far north as Canada.

People catch the infection when they come in contact with soil contaminated with the worms.

The tiny worm is barely visible to the naked eye. Young roundworms can move through a person's skin and into the bloodstream to the lungs and airways. As the worms grow older, they bury themselves in the walls of the intestines. Later, they produce eggs in the intestines. Areas where the worms go through the skin may become red and painful.

The rate of this infection is low in the United States. Most of the disease seen in North America is brought by travelers who have visited or lived in South America and Africa.

Review Date: 10/09/2006
Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, M.D., MSc, DTM&H, Chief of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Kaiser Redwood City, CA & Adjunct Assistant Professor, Stanford University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.