A Case of Human Conjunctival Dirofilariosis by Dirofilaria immitis in Italy
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This short communication describes a case of human conjunctival dirofilariosis by Dirofilaria immitis . A 51-year-old man from the Emilia-Romagna region of northeastern Italy referred for ocular foreign body sensation in his right eye. A slight swelling of the bulbar conjunctiva was observed. A live, whitish, 10-cm-long nematode was extracted from the subconjunctival space. Histology revealed typical features of a filarioid nematode belonging to the genus Dirofilaria sp. Molecular analysis with polymerase chain reaction confirmed that the extracted nematode was a male of D. immitis . The removal of the parasite leads to complete resolution of symptoms. Ocular human dirofilariosis caused by infection with the filarioid nematode D. immitis is extremely rare, but should be considered in humans living in Italian endemic areas.
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D. immitis worms have been found in cranial, hepatic, intraocular, and mesenteric adipose tissues; testicular arteries; and conjunctival tissues.
“D. immitis worms have been found in cranial, hepatic, intraocular, and mesenteric adipose tissues; testicular arteries; and conjunctival tissues (22,423)”
From Human and animal dirofilariasis: The emergence of a zoonotic mosaic (2012) · cites this paper as [22]
It is not infrequent to find worms of both D. immitis and D. repens in anatomical locations distinct from those commonly associated with each species.
“It is not infrequent to find worms of both species in anatomical locations distinct from those commonly associated with each species.”
From Human and animal dirofilariasis: The emergence of a zoonotic mosaic (2012) · cites this paper as [22]
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- Authors
- Avellis, F. O., Kramer, L. H., Mora, P., Bartolino, A., Benedetti, P., & Rivasi, F.
- Affiliations
- University of Parma (IT)
- Hospital of Carpi (MO)
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Kramer, Laura H.
- ORCID
- Kramer, Laura H.
- Venue
- Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2011-04
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 451-452
- ISSN
- 1530-3667 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-7759
- OpenAlex
- W2058136068
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2025: 5 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- IRIS UNIMORE (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Ocular Infections and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Helminth infection and control
- Keywords
- Dirofilaria immitis, molecular identification
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Conjunctiva, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilariasis, Humans, Italy, Male, Middle Aged, Treatment Outcome
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