A child with an acanthocephalan infection

Abstract

We herein describe a case of acanthocephalan infection in a 20-month old Saudi child who presented with a 3-month history of recurrent passage of long worms and poor appetite. The worm was misdiagnosed as Ascaris at another institution. Careful egg and worm examination confirmed the diagnosis of the acanthocephalan Moniliformis moniliformis. The child completely recovered with two courses of mebendazole, 3 days each, administered one week apart. Repeated stool analysis for 2-months post therapy confirmed complete eradication of this worm. We believe this is the first case of human acanthocephalan infection reported in Saudi Arabia.