Capillaria hepatica

Capillaria hepatica is a parasitierender in the liver of mammals, hair worm. It occurs worldwide, the main reservoir are rodents, especially rats. Infection of humans and other mammals is possible but uncommon. In humans, until 2007, only 37 cases have been documented.

Capillaria hepatica lives in the liver and lays its eggs there too. However, they are not excreted. The chain of infection is by eating the liver of an infected animal in motion. In the gut of feeding the enemy, the eggs are released during digestion and is excreted in the feces. A second possibility of contamination of the environment is the decay of an affected animal. In the environment embryonic kidney and these eggs are so infectious. The infection of new hosts occurs through contaminated with eggs floors. This moves the released in the intestine of the larva portal vein into the liver.

The symptoms such as upper abdominal pain and liver enlargement caused by the migration of the larvae through the liver and egg laying. Laboratory diagnosis, leukocytosis and eosinophilia are detectable. A definite diagnosis is only possible by a liver biopsy.