11111st be a stroni; ;idvncm..-y on thornugh c:ooking of crabs ~nd safe food preparation. \'\'hilc 11:-;c nf sanitmy toilets can cr. rntributc in r,revcnting eggs from reaching the interrncdic1tc srmil ho:-;t. there ;,re othc T aniimal reservoir hrists that can continue this chain of trnr1. smission. Capillaria philippinensis 111is is an<>lhcr inlc:,linal roundworm that was first described among humans in the Philippines way back in 19<>~3-Egg,, of the parasite that apparcntlycmbryonate in water a. re ingested by fresh or hrackish water fish, where they develop into infective larvae. Man acquires the infection upon ingestion of raw or improperly cooked fish (See Illus. 15. 9). Capillaria infection or capillariasis causes abdominal pain, gurgling of I. be stomach called borbvrygmi. in<l chronic diarrhea. The intractable diarrhea causes remarkable Joss or weight, loss of appetite, body malaise, then edema. I nfoclion is cslahl ishcd t Juough the recovery of eggs, larvae and adult5 from the stools. Ln areas where epidemic outbreaks have occurrerl, one of the main _problems identified was the inability of lhc loboratory microsc. opist to differentiate Capi Tiaria eggs from Trichuris eggs. Early diagnosis is essential for early treatmenl. If the problem is not immediately diagnosed, the patient usually dies due to loss of protein, low electrolyte level and mafabsorption of fats a. nd sugars. The infect ion was pri rna rily thought to be present only in the Northern Luzon pro-..inces of llocos Sur, Ilocos Norte. La Union, Cagayan, lsabela, Pangasinan and Zambales. Later on. it was found also in the Visayan province of Southern Leyte and in Mindanao (mainly in the provinces of Davao, Basilan, Agusan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zomboanga dcl Norte, :ind Compostela \'alley). All infected indh;duals must be properly treated. Health education must be focused on th(' risk nf eating rnw or improperly cooked fish. Use of sanitary toilet facilities must, likewise, he cmphasi1. ed. 1. aborntory workers must be properly trained on the idc. ntilication or the parasite as well. It was found that laboratory cliagnosticians may rnist;ik. ; eruw of Capillaria for the eggs of Trkhuris. Heterophyid Flukes This is a group l)f flukes that live in the small intestines of man and other fish­ eating irnimals like rats, cats and rlogs. They are composed of several species. The ones commonly idc. ntified from man are: Heterophyes hctcrophyes, Hapfo,·chi s taichui and Metago11imus yokogawai. · They are considered the smallest among the trematodes because they measure only 2 mm. or less in length. The eggs produced a:re also very small but they are already with mir;iciuia when Ll1cy arc passed Lhmugh t E1e feces. The miracidia hatch out onee the eggs arc in J!,ested by the appropriate snail in1em1ediate hnst. The cercariae released frnm Lhc snail will then cnerst as metacercariae in tish which is the second i. ntermediate hosl. Man ;ic;quircs the infection upon ingestion of raw or improperl y cooked fish caught from fresh wntcr, brackish water (rivers or lakes) or even salt water (oceans). IL wn. ~ a common observation that patients with heterophyidias is are concom. itantly infected with capillariasis, since the same species offish were were found to harbor the 371 