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Book Review
Cases in Human Parasitology
Judith S. Heelan
ASM Press, Washington, DC
ISBN: 1-55581-296-1
Pages: 243, Price: US$59.95
Suggested
citation for this article
This compact, glossy paperbound text contains 62 cases in 5 sections:
I) Intestinal Protozoa, II) Blood and Tissue Protozoa, III) Cestodes,
Trematodes and Intestinal Nematodes, IV) Blood and Tissue Nematodes, and
V) Challenging Cases. The intent was to emphasize the relationship between
diagnosis and patient care. This goal is laudable; unfortunately, serious
shortcomings limit the book's usefulness for students, professors, or
laboratorians.
A major challenge is the format: the presented case is "textbook,"
and the "answer" is given in the case presentation, leaving
little need for the answer section. How many junior parasitologists or
biologists with casual interest in parasites don't know that bile-stained,
barrel-shaped nematode eggs with prominent polar plugs represent Trichuris
eggs? If the clinical history and illustrations are presented and the
detailed description of the organism is left to the answer, the reader
can look at the illustrations, decipher the morphologic features, consider
the possibilities, and then differentiate by using existing features.
Some case presentations had no illustrations, which is a prerequisite.
Most illustrations were adequate, but some were unacceptable. Figure 4.1
presumes to illustrate an Entamoeba histolytica cyst, but the diagnosis
could not be made from the image. Figure 16.1 is listed as typical of
Babesia infection, yet after close study, if Babesia organisms
are present, they are not typical. The illustrations of microsporidia
at low-power magnification were perplexing. Use of identical images to
illustrate East African and West African trypanosomes is unacceptable.
The illustration for case 52 (onchocerciasis) shows a Giemsa-stained microfilaria
with a sheath. The morphologic features and the sheath stained with Giemsa
indicate a Brugia microfilaria, not an Onchocerca microfilaria.
In case 52 (Onchocerca), surgical removal of regional lymph nodes
is advised, in addition to removal of nodules containing adult worms.
This is not standard medical advice. In case 48 (dracunculiasis), it is
stated that cisterns in Iran and step wells in India are common sources
of infection and that prevalence of this infection has been reduced in
most areas, except India, Pakistan, and a few countries in Africa. Guinea
worm has been absent from Iran since 1972, from Pakistan since 1993, and
from India since 1996. In the same case study, it is stated that metronidazole
is often used to complement or replace traditional removal of worms, and
that niridazole, thiabendazole, and mebendazole are also useful. None
of these drugs has any benefit in Guinea worm infection treatment. In
case 3 (cyclosporiasis), it is stated that infections from ingestion of
contaminated fruits, such as imported strawberries, have been reported.
Not true; strawberries have never been implicated.
Given the multiple errors and lack of attention to detail (Colombia is
misspelled; the width of Anisakis L3 is given as 1 cm), this book has
little to offer, despite its reasonable price ($60). This is unfortunate
because a well-done series of teaching cases could fill a much needed
void.
Mark L. Eberhard*
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Suggested citation
for this article:
Eberhard ML. Cases
in human parasitology [book review]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet].
2005 May [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no05/05-0203.htm
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