Fascioliasis: 3 cases with three different clinical presentations

Abstract

Fascioliasis, which is a zoonotic infestation caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke), is primarily a disease of herbivorous animals such as sheep and cattle. Humans become accidental hosts through ingesting uncooked aquatic plants such as watercress. It presents a wide spectrum of clinical pictures ranging from fever, eosinophilia and vague gastrointestinal symptoms in the acute phase to cholangitis, cholecystitis, biliary obstruction, extrahepatic infestation, or asymptomatic eosinophilia in the chronic phase. However, it may often be overlooked, especially in the acute phase, because of vague symptoms. As a result of newly introduced serological assays facilitating the diagnosis, there has been an increase in the number of reported cases. Here, we report the clinical and laboratory assessment and therapeutic approach of a series of three cases diagnosed (in order of) one week, three months and one and a half years after presentation of the first symptoms of the disease.