Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 11, Number 5—May 2005
Books and Media

Cases in Human Parasitology

Cite This Article

Judith S. Heelan
ASM Press, Washington, DC
ISBN: 1-55581-296-1
Pages: 243, Price: US$59.95

This compact, glossy paperbound text contains 62 cases in 5 sections: I) Intestinal Protozoa, II) Blood and Tissue Protozoa, III) Cestodes, Trematodes and Intestinal Nematodes, IV) Blood and Tissue Nematodes, and V) Challenging Cases. The intent was to emphasize the relationship between diagnosis and patient care. This goal is laudable; unfortunately, serious shortcomings limit the book's usefulness for students, professors, or laboratorians.

A major challenge is the format: the presented case is "textbook," and the "answer" is given in the case presentation, leaving little need for the answer section. How many junior parasitologists or biologists with casual interest in parasites don't know that bile-stained, barrel-shaped nematode eggs with prominent polar plugs represent Trichuris eggs? If the clinical history and illustrations are presented and the detailed description of the organism is left to the answer, the reader can look at the illustrations, decipher the morphologic features, consider the possibilities, and then differentiate by using existing features.

Some case presentations had no illustrations, which is a prerequisite. Most illustrations were adequate, but some were unacceptable. Figure 4.1 presumes to illustrate an Entamoeba histolytica cyst, but the diagnosis could not be made from the image. Figure 16.1 is listed as typical of Babesia infection, yet after close study, if Babesia organisms are present, they are not typical. The illustrations of microsporidia at low-power magnification were perplexing. Use of identical images to illustrate East African and West African trypanosomes is unacceptable. The illustration for case 52 (onchocerciasis) shows a Giemsa-stained microfilaria with a sheath. The morphologic features and the sheath stained with Giemsa indicate a Brugia microfilaria, not an Onchocerca microfilaria.

In case 52 (Onchocerca), surgical removal of regional lymph nodes is advised, in addition to removal of nodules containing adult worms. This is not standard medical advice. In case 48 (dracunculiasis), it is stated that cisterns in Iran and step wells in India are common sources of infection and that prevalence of this infection has been reduced in most areas, except India, Pakistan, and a few countries in Africa. Guinea worm has been absent from Iran since 1972, from Pakistan since 1993, and from India since 1996. In the same case study, it is stated that metronidazole is often used to complement or replace traditional removal of worms, and that niridazole, thiabendazole, and mebendazole are also useful. None of these drugs has any benefit in Guinea worm infection treatment. In case 3 (cyclosporiasis), it is stated that infections from ingestion of contaminated fruits, such as imported strawberries, have been reported. Not true; strawberries have never been implicated.

Given the multiple errors and lack of attention to detail (Colombia is misspelled; the width of Anisakis L3 is given as 1 cm), this book has little to offer, despite its reasonable price ($60). This is unfortunate because a well-done series of teaching cases could fill a much needed void.

Top

Mark L. Eberhard*Comments to Author 
Author affiliation: *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Top

Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid1105.050203

Related Links

Top

Table of Contents – Volume 11, Number 5—May 2005

EID Search Options
presentation_01 Advanced Article Search – Search articles by author and/or keyword.
presentation_01 Articles by Country Search – Search articles by the topic country.
presentation_01 Article Type Search – Search articles by article type and issue.

Top

Comments

Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Mark L. Eberhard, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Mailstop F22, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA; fax: 770-488-7794

Send To

10000 character(s) remaining.

Top

Page created: April 24, 2012
Page updated: April 24, 2012
Page reviewed: April 24, 2012
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external