A Rare Case of Gastrointestinal Canthariasis Caused by Alphitobius Diaperinus

Abstract

Canthariasis is a human/ animal infestation by larval stages of coleopteran insects - the beetles. This study reports a rare case of gastrointestinal canthariasis caused by Alphitobiusdiaperinus. A six-year-old boy presented with complaints of pain abdomen associated with non-bilious, non-blood-stained vomiting for 15 days and a history of passage of worm-like creatures via stools and occasionally in the vomitus. All investigations were normal barring the presence of small worm-like creatures (insect larvae) in stools on naked-eye examination. Treatment with anthelmintics did not provide any relief with continued infestation over the past 3 months. The worms in the stool were identified as larvae of lesser mealworm - Alphitobiusdiaperinus. Dietary history of consumption of dry fruits infested with Alphitobiusdiaperinus determined the source of the infestation and the diagnosis, and the appropriate management was thus initiated. This report implicates Alphitobiusdiaperinus as a cause of gastrointestinal canthariasis and highlights the importance of dietary history to effectively manage gastrointestinal canthariasis.