Abstract
BackgroundHymenolepis nana, also called dwarf tapeworm infection, is an intestinal helminth not previously reported in The Gambia and only very rarely reported in West Africa.Case presentationWe report a case of H. nana infection in a 29-month-old child living in a rural community of the north bank of the Upper River Region (URR) in The Gambia. The child presented with mild iron deficiency anaemia and granulocytosis but was otherwise mostly asymptomatic despite the moderate-intensity of infection.ConclusionsWe support treatment of H. nana infection even in largely asymptomatic children to prevent autoinfection and spread of this intestinal helminth in The Gambia and in other West African countries.AbbreviationsGCP: Good Clinical Practice; HAZ: Height-for-age z-score; IHAT-GUT: Acronym for the Iron Hydroxide Adipate Tartrate Supplementation Study; ICH: International Conference on Harmonisation; SD: Standard Deviation; URR: Upper River Region; WAZ: Weight-for-age z-score; WHO: World Health Organization; WHZ: Weight-for-height z-score
Highlights
Hymenolepis nana, called dwarf tapeworm infection, is an intestinal helminth not previously reported in The Gambia and only very rarely reported in West Africa.Case presentation: We report a case of H. nana infection in a 29-month-old child living in a rural community of the north bank of the Upper River Region (URR) in The Gambia
Hymenolepiasis is a neglected tropical disease and a type of helminthiasis infection which in humans is most commonly caused by Hymenolepis nana, often referred to as dwarf tapeworm
In Ethiopia, showed that H. nana infection was present in 7.4% of children and that children infected with intestinal helminths had low haematocrit [9]
Summary
We support treatment of H. nana infection even in largely asymptomatic children to prevent autoinfection and spread of this intestinal helminth in The Gambia and in other West African countries. GCP: Good Clinical Practice; HAZ: Height-for-age z-score; IHAT-GUT: Acronym for the Iron Hydroxide Adipate Tartrate Supplementation Study; ICH: International Conference on Harmonisation; SD: Standard Deviation; URR: Upper River Region; WAZ: Weight-for-age z-score; WHO: World Health Organization; WHZ: Weight-for-height z-score
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