Small bowel obstruction due to ascariasis in a child from southern Ethiopia: a case report.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ascariasis, caused by the parasitic nematode Ascaris lumbricoides, is estimated to affect just under 900 million people globally, the majority of whom are children. Infections are most common in impoverished regions with poor water, sanitation, and hygiene, as transmission is reliant upon the ingestion of eggs excreted in feces found in contaminated soil.

Case presentation

An 8-year-old Black African boy from the Sidama region, southern Ethiopia, presented at Adare General Hospital with a 3-day history of vomiting, abdominal pain, distension, and inability to pass stool or gas. Ultrasound confirmed a small bowel obstruction caused by a bolus of A. lumbricoides, which was successfully removed by surgical intervention via laparotomy and enterotomy. Postoperative tre

SUBMITTER: Liyew EF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11829422 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature