Intestinal parasitic diseases pose a public health problem in many countries of the world, especially in tropical and subtropical areas.
It is estimated that one third of the world's population may be infected with intestinal worms, polyparasitosis being common. This is the cause of a variety of conditions including malnutrition, iron-deficiency anemia, intestinal obstruction or physical growth retardation. Nevertheless, this condition is usually asymptomatic in adults.
Some parasites such as Schistosoma and Strongyloides persist for many years and must be treated to prevent the development of serious complications at later stages.
Screening for imported parasites in apparently healthy immigrants remains a public health priority in health care settings that attend immigrants, most of whom may have emigrated from countries where intestinal parasitic diseases are endemic.
Research must focus on parasites prevalent in the area where the person has lived.
In this article, we present the case of a sub-Saharan patient who was diagnosed of polyparasitosis in the context of an acute disease that required health care assistance.