Why is definitive diagnosis of acanthocephaliasis challenging pre-expulsion?
Answer
Eggs are not commonly found in fecal samples like nematodes or cestodes.
A significant diagnostic hurdle for acanthocephaliasis, especially when compared to other helminth infections, is the lack of reliable detection methods via routine fecal analysis. Unlike nematodes or cestodes, where eggs are frequently abundant in stool samples, acanthocephalans do not readily yield eggs for examination. Therefore, definitive diagnosis often requires direct observation of the adult worm or larval stages, which usually occurs only after the parasite is expelled, perhaps following anthelmintic treatment, or during invasive procedures like surgery or endoscopy.
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