Strongyloides stercoralis: a plea for action

Overview

 Strongyloidiasis remains an underestimated public health problem, just as it was at the dawn of last century.

In 1901, Professor William Sydney Thayer published a review, “On the Occurrence of Strongyloides intestinalis in the United States,” concluding: “…one may be justified in emphasizing the following points:

• ‘‘Diarrhoea associated with the presence of Strongyloides intestinalis occurs in the United States.
• ‘‘The observation, in the Johns Hopkins Hospital, of three cases within three years, [...] suggests that this parasite may be more frequent than hitherto been supposed.
• [...]
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• ‘‘More systematic examinations of the faeces both in public clinics and in private practice are much to be desired.’’

More than one century later, the key issues regarding this parasite (subsequently renamed Strongyloides stercoralis) are essentially the same, and although researchers have recently given more attention to this infection, systematic action plans still lag behind.