Clinical Presentation of Fasciolopsiasis in Humans: Symptoms and Pathogenesis

Many F. buski infections are asymptomatic, but many, especially heavier infections (with hundreds to thousands of flukes in the bowels), cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Flukes attached to the mucosal wall of the intestine cause local inflammation, ulceration, and sometimes hemmorhaging. The diarrhea appears light yellow in color and contains large amounts of undigested food, suggesting malabsorption due to infection. Some cases have been found to exhibit malabsorption of vitamin B12. Edema (the presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces of the body) and ascites (An effusion and accumulation of serous fluid in the abdominal cavity) result from hypoalbuminemia (a condition in which the concentration of albumin in the blood is abnormally low) due to longterm malabsorption. Eosinophilia also occurs.