Human Ocular Dirofilariasis in Hong Kong

PURPOSEHuman dirofilariasis is a helminthic infestation caused by filarial nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria. We report two cases of subconjunctival dirofilariasis in adult Chinese patients. CASE REPORTSCase 1A 57-year-old woman presented to us with 1-day history of left eye redness and migratory f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Optometry and vision science Vol. 93; no. 5; pp. 545 - 548
Main Authors:	Kwok, Rachel Pui Wai, Chow, Prudence Po Chee, Lam, Jasmine Kee Ming, Fok, Andrew Chung-tin, Jhanji, Vishal, Wong, Victoria Wing Yee, Young, Alvin L
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States American Academy of Optometry 01-05-2016
Subjects:	Aged Animals Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage Conjunctival Diseases - diagnosis Conjunctival Diseases - parasitology Conjunctival Diseases - surgery Dirofilaria repens - isolation & purification Dirofilariasis - diagnosis Dirofilariasis - parasitology Dirofilariasis - surgery Eye Infections, Parasitic - diagnosis Eye Infections, Parasitic - parasitology Eye Infections, Parasitic - surgery Female Glucocorticoids - administration & dosage Hong Kong Humans Middle Aged Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures Physical Examination Slit Lamp Microscopy
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Summary:	PURPOSEHuman dirofilariasis is a helminthic infestation caused by filarial nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria. We report two cases of subconjunctival dirofilariasis in adult Chinese patients. CASE REPORTSCase 1A 57-year-old woman presented to us with 1-day history of left eye redness and migratory foreign body sensation. Physical examination showed a temporal subconjunctival motile mass in her left eye. Immediate surgical exploration showed a live nonpigmented roundworm measuring 120 mm in length with morphology compatible with Dirofilaria. It was later identified to be Dirofilaria repens by sequence analysis. Case 2A 69-year-old woman presented with left eye redness and foreign body sensation for 2 weeks. She was treated elsewhere initially with topical antibiotics without any improvement. On slitlamp examination, a mobile subconjunctival mass was noted. Immediate surgical removal was performed under local anesthesia, revealing a live 50-mm-long worm. It was identified as Dirofilaria hongkongensis. Both patients had normal systemic workup results and remained symptom-free after surgical removal of the nematode. Clinical findings, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and management are discussed. CONCLUSIONSOphthalmic dirofilariasis is a rare condition. Clinicians should be aware of this disease entity so that prompt diagnosis and treatment could be offered to the patients.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Case Study-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-4 content type line 23 ObjectType-Report-1 ObjectType-Article-3
ISSN:	1040-5488 1538-9235
DOI:	10.1097/OPX.0000000000000770