Table 1.
Description of five cases of fasciolosis diagnosed by ELISA in the study area
| Case number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex/age (years) | Female (52) | Female (49) | Male (58) | Female (39) | Male (22) |
| Educational level | Incomplete tertiary | Primary | Primary | Complete tertiary | Primary |
| Working activity | Housewife | Housewife | Ambulance driver | Nurse | Farm worker |
| Time of residence (years) | 33 | 49 | 58 | 39 | 22 |
| Water supply for consumption | Boiled surface water without filtration | Unboiled surface water without filtration | Unboiled surface water without filtration | Stream, without filtration or boiling | Well water bucket without filtration or boiling |
| Raised animals | Cattle, horses, birds, dogs, cats | Cattle, sheep, poultry, dogs | Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs | Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, companion animals | Cattle, sheep, goats, mules, poultry, dogs, cats |
| Contact with animals | In the peridomestic area | In the peridomestic area | In the dwellings | In the peridomestic area | In the peridomestic area and at work |
| Watercress eating | During all the year | During all the year | During all the year | During all the year | No |
| Know F. hepatica? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clinical symptoms and signs | RUQ abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and hepatomegaly | Asymptomatic | Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and painful hepatomegaly | Jaundice, RUQ abdominal pain, diarrhoea | Asymptomatic |
| Stool examination | F. hepatica eggs (epg = 100) | Endolimax nana cysts | Microsporidia spores* | Negative | Negative |
| ELISA for F. hepatica (A 410) | Positive (0.705) | Positive (0.458) | Positive (0.498) | Positive (0.475) | Positive (0.581) |
| Eosinophilia (%) | 34 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Additional information | Previous abdominal US without diagnosis. Repeated US showed the presence of F. hepatica adult worms, thickening and dilation of bile ducts, gallbladder enlarged and thickened wall | ND | Previous cholecystectomy | Previous abdominal US without diagnosis |
EPG eggs per gram; RUQ right upper quadrant; US ultrasonography; ND no data; A 410 absorbance value at 410 nm (cut-off = 0.410)
* Enterocytotoon bieneusi confirmed by PCR