Ascaris Peritonitis in a Pediatric Patient With Typhoid Fever

TL;DR

A child with typhoid fever also had a rare complication of ascaris peritonitis, requiring emergency surgery.

Contribution

This case highlights a rare coinfection leading to bowel perforation and emphasizes the importance of considering ascaris in typhoid patients.

Findings

A seven-year-old boy with typhoid fever developed ascaris peritonitis.

The case illustrates the rare but severe complication of bowel perforation from ascariasis.

Perioperative management and diagnostic challenges are discussed.

Abstract

Intestinal infestation with ascaris worms is very common worldwide and usually causes minimal or no abdominal symptoms. Severe abdominal complications such as bowel obstruction may occur, but bowel perforation from ascariasis is rare. We present a case of a seven-year-old boy who initially presented with typhoid fever and then developed ascaris peritonitis requiring emergent surgery. We discuss preoperative diagnosis and perioperative management, as well as the purported mechanisms of coinfection with typhoid fever and ascariasis that can lead to small bowel perforation.

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