Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Toxocariasis in a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
- Journal:
- International journal of environmental research and public health
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Pieroni, Filippo et al.
- Affiliation:
- Postgraduate School of Paediatrics · Italy
Plain-English summary
A young boy with autism spectrum disorder was taken to the hospital after having a high fever for two weeks, along with some stomach pain and a decrease in his appetite in the days leading up to his admission. His father mentioned that the boy had a habit of eating dirt and animal feces, which he may have picked up while visiting a farm with various animals. Tests showed he had a high number of certain white blood cells and elevated levels of a specific antibody, which led to a diagnosis of toxocariasis, an infection caused by a type of roundworm. The boy was treated with medications called albendazole and prednisone, and he showed a quick improvement in his symptoms and lab results, along with a significant reduction in liver damage.
Abstract
A boy affected by autism spectrum disorder was admitted for persistent high fever, without shiver, for two weeks. The boy referred to abdominal pain, in the first week of fever, and to mild anorexia in the last days before admittance to our hospital centre. The father reported that the boy suffered by geophagia and coprophagia and he has been going to a didactical farm (where he has been exposed to several kinds of animals) to improve his neuropsychiatric condition. Blood analysis shows severe eosinophilia and high levels of total IgE, and abdominal echocardiography showed hepatic lesions. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot (WB) confirmed the suspicion of toxocariasis, linked to the habit of the boy to ingest ground or animal faeces in a didactic farm frequented by the boy. Treatment with albendazole and prednisone was administered with a rapid improvement of the symptoms and the laboratory findings and significant reduction of the hepatic lesion.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33401653/