You Are What You Eat: A Case of Nematode-Induced Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Human anisakiasis is acquired through eating raw or undercooked saltwater fish or squid. Infestation with living larvae caused by eating parasitized fish often times results in gastroenteritis. It mainly involves the stomach and small intestine with no reported cases of eosinophilic esophagitis caused by Anisakidea. A 41-year-old man presented for the evaluation of 1 year of dysphagia to solid foods and was found to have endoscopic findings consistent with eosinophilic esophagitis with pathology showing 100 eosinophils per high-power field. During endoscopy, a roundworm, later identified as Anisakidae species, was found. Patient was treated with a 6-week course of albendazole with symptomatic, endoscopic, and histologic improvement.