Short communication, Note
Dirofilaria Repens as a Cause of Subconjunctival Infection in a 77-Years Old Female Patient from Croatia – A Case Report
Mario Sviben
; Microbiology Service, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Tomislav Meštrović
; Clinical Microbiology and Parasitology Laboratory, Polyclinic »Dr. Zora Profozić«, Zagreb, Croatia
Khalil Nemer
; General Hospital »dr. Ivo Pedišić«, Sisak, Croatia
Katarina Palko Bartulović
; General Hospital »dr. Ivo Pedišić«, Sisak, Croatia
Robert Škara
; General Hospital »dr. Ivo Pedišić«, Sisak, Croatia
Gordana Mlinarić Galinović
; Microbiology Service, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The zoonotic parasites of the genus Dirofilaria are on the increase as an accidental finding or as a cause of disease in humans worldwide. Human dirofilariasis usually manifests as either subcutaneous infiltrates or lung parenchymal dis- ease, in many cases asymptomatically. We report the case of a 77-year old female patient presenting with irritation and pain in her left eye. Ophthalmologic examination of the temporal part of her left eye revealed motile and threadlike or- ganism, which was surgically extracted and morphologically identified as Dirofilaria. Further molecular diagnostics with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed that the isolated organism is Dirofilaria repens. Due to already recog- nized autochthonous occurrence of human dirofilariasis in Croatia, human dirofilariasis must be included in the differ- ential diagnosis of patients presenting with subcutaneous nodules, eye affection and other potential manifestations of this disease.
Keywords
dirofilariasis; nematode; subconjunctival infection; ophthalmology; parasitology
Hrčak ID:
118313
URI
Publication date:
30.9.2013.
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