A case report of human gastrodiscoidiasis in Nepal

Gastrodiscoidiasis is a snail-transmitted zoonotic infection caused by the digenean trematode Gastrodiscoides hominis, which is the only species in the genus Gastrodiscoides infecting humans. We report a case of human gastrodiscoidiasis in a 66 years-old Nepali man without history of travels outside of Nepal who was admitted in the hospital with pain in upper abdomen for 4 months with history of passage of black-tarry stools, anemia and eosinophilia. During upper endoscopy a living trematode worm was seen in the antrum of the stomach. After isolation, the worm was identified morphologically as Gastrodiscoides hominis. Stool analysis of the patient revealed eggs of this parasite. The cause of the infection appeared to be related to the habit of the patient to eat raw watercress. This is the first report of human infection with Gastrodiscoides hominis in Nepal. However, the burden of this foodborne trematode infection in Nepal might be underestimated. [Display omitted] •Foodborne trematode infections are common in Asian countries.•Gastrodiscoidiasis has been reported in several countries, but not in Nepal.•We report the first case of human infection with Gastrodiscoides hominis in Nepal