Italian Doctors Link 8-cm Liver Abscess to Sexually Acquired Parasite and Louse-Borne Infection
Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Aug 16
Italian Doctors Link 8-cm Liver Abscess to Sexually Acquired Parasite and Louse-Borne Infection
1 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Aug 16
Summary
A 41-year-old truck driver in northern Italy was diagnosed with invasive amoebiasis after scans found two liver lesions measuring 8 cm and 6 cm, with tests later tying the abscesses to Entamoeba histolytica.
Detailed history-taking unlocked the case: the man reported a sexual encounter about a month before severe diarrhea, fevers and a 12-kg weight loss began, prompting antibody tests that came back strongly positive twice.
Doctors also concluded he had a separate Borrelia infection likely linked to an earlier body-lice infestation, after bacterial and fungal cultures from the liver abscesses and tests for tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and syphilis were negative.
Metronidazole followed by Paromomycin cleared the gut parasite, and six months later CT scans showed the liver lesions had almost completely resolved.
The authors said the case shows tropical infections can surface in wealthier countries through travel, migration and sexual networks, while outside experts said one case does not signal a broader public-health threat.