Subconjunctival human dirofilariasis by Dirofilaria repens in the Mediterranean Basin
Human dirofilariasis cases have increased in Europe for the last few decades. We document an autochthonous case of dirofilariasis infection in the subconjunctival space of a 60-year-old Spanish man. The patient presented with pain in his right eye, which was diagnosed as epi-scleritis. In spite of t...
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Published in | American journal of ophthalmology case reports Vol. 26; p. 101570 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
Elsevier Inc
01.06.2022
Elsevier |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Human dirofilariasis cases have increased in Europe for the last few decades. We document an autochthonous case of dirofilariasis infection in the subconjunctival space of a 60-year-old Spanish man.
The patient presented with pain in his right eye, which was diagnosed as epi-scleritis. In spite of the treatment administered, no improvement was reported. An external exam showed conjunctival congestion on the temporal part of the right eye bulbar conjunctiva. The anterior chamber showed no flare or cells in both eyes and dilated fundus exam was normal. Nevertheless, a long whitish vermiform mobile mass was detected under the conjunctiva in the temporal part of the right eye. The worm was surgically removed and diagnosed morphologically and also molecularly as Dirofilaria repens. This species uses dogs and wild canids as definitive hosts and principal reservoirs, while mosquito species are transmitters. Humans act as accidental hosts, and clinical manifestations depend on the location of the worm in the organs and tissues.
The correct diagnosis and control of subcutaneous/ocular dirofilariasis by D. repens require several professionals under the One Health approach to deal with this zoonotic disease, which poses a serious public health problem, at least in the Mediterranean Basin. |
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Bibliography: | Reference URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451993622003164?via%3Dihub. Please add the ORCID number for each of the users upon clicking on their name alongside the author info. Here, Fernando Simón (ORCID: 0000-0002-8177-6083). Reference URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451993622003164?via%3Dihub. Please add the ORCID number for each of the users upon clicking on their name alongside the author info. Here, Guillermo Esteban (ORCID: 0000-0001-7265-8459) |
ISSN: | 2451-9936 2451-9936 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.ajoc.2022.101570 |