Strongyloides stercoralis infection

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Abstract
#### Summary points Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal helminth that infects humans through contact with soil containing the larvae. Between 30 and 100 million people are infected worldwide.1 In the United Kingdom, strongyloidiasis is seen predominantly in migrants and returning travellers from endemic areas in the tropics and subtropics. Strongyloidiasis may present with cutaneous or gastrointestinal symptoms but is asymptomatic in over 60% of cases and only indicated by a raised blood eosinophil count.2 Diagnosis is important as the infection may persist for decades.3 Immunosuppressed patients with chronic strongyloidiasis are at high risk of developing strongyloides hyperinfection syndrome, a life threatening complication whereby larval proliferation leads to systemic sepsis and multiorgan failure. If strongyloidiasis is diagnosed early, however, it is easily treatable with oral antihelmintic drugs. In this article we review the epidemiology and common symptoms of strongyloidiasis and strongyloides hyperinfection syndrome, discuss the appropriate investigations, and summarise the evidence on treatment. #### Sources and selection criteria We performed a search of PubMed using the search term “ Strongyloides stercoralis ”, and included English language studies only. There is a paucity of randomised controlled trails investigating the treatment of strongyloides infection, and no Cochrane reviews have been published. Likewise there are no national or globally recognised guidelines for the investigation …