Strongyloidiasis in childhood.

Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal nematode of man that is still regularly encountered in many parts of the United States. Strongyloidiasis should be considered in any child with unexplained eosinophilia, steatorrhea, protein-losing enteropathy, or chronic diarrhea, especially if associated with weight loss, growth failure, or recurrent upper abdominal pain. This parasite should be ruled out in any patient from an endemic region who is to be treated with corticosteroids of immunosuppressive agents. Microscopical examination of duodenal fluid, Baermann's fecal extraction technique, or the Haradi-Mori stool culture method may be required to make a diagnosis because the organism is not routinely found in concentrated feces even after multiple examinations in some infected individuals. A diagnosis of strongyloidiasis is important because the disease is curable.