Hymenolepis diminuta Infection in a Child from a Rural Area: A Rare Case Report
A 10-year-old female belonging to a rural area of Kendrapada district of Odisha came to our pediatrics outpatient department with a chief complaint of intermittent abdominal pain, anal pruritus and nocturnal restlessness since the last 2-3 weeks. On physical examination, there were no positive clinical findings. No abnormal readings were found in the blood and urine analyses. Her height was 130 cm and weight was 29 kg. Examination of the stool samples revealed spherical eggs 70 µm in diameter, yellow-colored, thick-shelled eggs that contained six central hooklets but no polar filaments []. These were identified as H. diminuta eggs and were differentiated from H. nana eggs, which have a similar appearance but are smaller in size and have two evident polar thickenings, from each of which four to eight polar filaments arise.[] Further confirmation was done by examination of another stool sample by the concentration method. Again, the same findings were noted. The patient was successfully treated with praziquantel (10 mg/kg body weight) for 7 days.