Clinical Features:
Most infections are light and asymptomatic.  In heavier infections, symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, ascites, anasarca and intestinal obstruction.

Laboratory Diagnosis:
Microscopic identification of eggs, or more rarely of the adult flukes, in the stool or vomitus is the basis of specific diagnosis.  The eggs are indistinguishable from those of Fasciola hepatica.

Diagnostic findings

• Microscopy
• Morphologic comparison with other intestinal parasites

Treatment:
Praziquantel* is the drug of choice.  For additional information, see the recommendations in The Medical Letter (Drugs for Parasitic Infections).

* This drug is approved by the FDA, but considered investigational for this purpose.