Morphologic Characterization of Strongylida Larvae from Human and Swine Coprocultures in Rural Communities in the State of Piauí, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Some helminth species belonging to the order Strongylida are parasites of the digestive tract of vertebrates, including man and domestic animals. In humans, infections with Oesophagostomum spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. may be misdiagnosed as hookworm disease on parasitological stool examination, mainly in regions where these infections are coendemic, since eggs released in hosts’ feces are morphologically similar. This study presents the morphologic characterization of Strongylida larvae recovered from humans and pigs living in close proximity, exploring putative zoonotic cycles. One hundred three humans and 27 pigs were included in low-resource rural communities in the state of Piauí, northeastern Brazil. Strongylida eggs were present in 12 (11.7%) humans and 23 (85.2%) pigs through conventional parasitological examination. Strongylida-positive fecal samples were submitted to coprocultures using the Harada–Mori technique. All 22 larvae obtained from human feces were classified as hookworms (Ancylostomatidae). From a total of 37 larvae obtained from swine, 23 (62.3%) were classified as Oesophagostomum, 6 (16.2%) were Hyostrongylus, and 4 (10.8%) were Trichostrongylus. Four larvae (10.8%) obtained from pigs were classified as Strongyloides. The morphological study of filariform larvae obtained in coprocultures is a useful and inexpensive tool in the screening of intestinal helminthiasis in a One Health approach.