Schistosomal appendicitis: a rare cause of a common surgical condition

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of schistosomiasis across the world, appendicitis secondary to schistosomiasis is a rarely encountered presentation even in endemic areas, let alone in developed Western countries. We report a case of a 34-year-old male in Australia with acute appendicitis and subsequent histopathology, demonstrating the presence of schistosome ova. The case highlights the difficulties in pre-operative diagnosis of this entity and the importance of its recognition for the practising surgeon, especially in the developed world, where this rare condition may be encountered because of changing global travel and migration patterns.