Myiasis is most prevalent in Mexico, central and south America, tropical Africa, and the southwestern United States. Although dermal myiasis is rare in most of the United States, it is a disorder that may be seen in international travelers. In the United States, external myiasis is usually caused by the cattle botfly. We report here a case of ophthalmomyiasis involving the left upper eyelid of a child. We examined a six-year-old boy who presented to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) in September 1998. He complained of persistent swelling of his left upper eyelid for the previous ten days. The edema and erythema were unresponsive to warm compresses and oral antibiotics. Ocular examination revealed a mild preseptal cellulitis of the left upper eyelid with a small draining fistula. On slit-lamp examination, we found one larva protruding intermittently from the fistula site. The larva was extracted with forceps, wrapped in a moist towel and sent in a jar to the parasitology laboratory. The specimen was identified as a Cuterebra larva by a parasitologist at the Harvard School of Public Health. One week later, the patient's eyelid edema and erythema had completely resolved.
Animal ; Case Report ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diptera* ; Eye Infections, Parasitic*/surgery ; Eye Infections, Parasitic*/parasitology ; Eye Infections, Parasitic*/diagnosis ; Eyelid Diseases/surgery ; Eyelid Diseases/parasitology* ; Eyelid Diseases/diagnosis ; Eyelids/parasitology* ; Human ; Larva ; Male ; Myiasis*/surgery ; Myiasis*/parasitology ; Myiasis*/diagnosis

A case of periocular dirofilariasis has been diagnosed in Iran. A 27-yr old female referred with a history of edema and redness in the left eye since 2 wk ago. On slit lamp examination, a moving thread-like worm was seen in the subconjunctival area. Two days later, a 126 mm long, live filaria worm was extracted from the lower lid subcutaneous tissue. The worm was diagnosed as, likelihood, Dirofilaria immitis on microscopic examinations. The present case suggests that D. immitis can cause periocular infections.
Adult ; Animals ; Dirofilaria immitis/anatomy & histology/isolation & purification ; Dirofilariasis/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/*diagnosis/*parasitology ; Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Aged ; Animals ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dirofilaria immitis/*isolation & purification ; Dirofilariasis/*diagnosis/parasitology/surgery ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/*diagnosis/parasitology/surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures ; Orbital Diseases/*diagnosis/parasitology/surgery

Examination of a 36-year-old man with naked visual acuity of 20/20 revealed a floating, conspicuous cyst of Cysticercus cellulosae in the vitreous cavity of the right eye. A vitreous traction band from the vitreous base and the optic disc was connected to the lodging bulb of the cyst. In the superonasal area, an ovoid retinal break surrounded by a white retinal lesion with two elliptical retinal hemorrhages was found, and this seems to be the previous lodging site of the cyst. A pars plana vitrectomy was performed to remove the parasite, and laser photocoagulation was carried out around the retinal break. Four months after the operation, the patient was satisfied with naked visual acuity of 25/20 without any complication in the affected eye.
Adult ; Animals ; Cysticercosis/*diagnosis/physiopathology/surgery ; Cysticercus/*isolation & purification ; Eye Diseases/diagnosis ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/*diagnosis/physiopathology/surgery ; Humans ; Laser Coagulation ; Male ; Retinal Hemorrhage/etiology/surgery ; Retinal Perforations/etiology/surgery ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreous Body/*parasitology/surgery

PURPOSE: This study aims to determine the frequency of opthalmyomyiasis externa and the ocular findings of disease in Southern Khorasan. METHODS: All patients referred to the emergency department of Valiaser hospital during the year 2011 with external ophthalmomyiasis were enrolled in this study. The diagnosis of external ophthalmomyiasis was made according to clinical findings and the presence of Oestrus ovis larvae. RESULTS: There were 18 cases of external ophthalmomyiasis in the emergency department of Valiaser hospital in 2011. Most cases had the common signs and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis, except for three males who were referred with respective complaints of red eye, foreign body sensation, and swelling around the eyelids after contact injury the previous day; corneal infiltration was present in three cases. The visual acuity among the three cases that had peripheral corneal involvement was 20 / 30 in both eyes. The bulbar conjunctiva showed chemosis in all cases and a ropy pattern discharge that was clinically compatible with external ophthalmomyiasis. However, in one case, microscopic slit lamp examination did not show Oestrus ovis larvae. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of external ophthalmomyiasis was high in this region. Although external ophthalmomyiasis usually manifests as allergic conjunctivitis, coronary-like corneal infiltration may be considered in the differential diagnosis of external ophthalmomyiasis or toxic insult.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Animals ; Cornea/parasitology/*pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; *Diptera ; *Emergency Service, Hospital ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/*diagnosis/epidemiology/parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Iran/epidemiology ; Larva ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myiasis/*diagnosis/epidemiology/parasitology ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

A 52-yr-old male was referred for progressive visual loss in the left eye. The decimal best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.01. Fundus examination revealed diffuse retinal pigment epithelial degeneration, focal yellow-white, infiltrative subretinal lesion with fuzzy border and a live nematode within the retina. Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) was diagnosed and the direct laser photocoagulation was performed to destroy the live nematode. During eight months after treatment, BCVA gradually improved to 0.2 along with the gradual restoration of outer retinal layers on SD-OCT. We report on the first case of DUSN in Korea. DUSN should be included in the differential diagnosis of unexplained unilateral visual loss in otherwise healthy subjects.
Animals ; Blindness/diagnosis/parasitology ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/diagnosis/parasitology/*therapy ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Laser Therapy/methods ; Light Coagulation/methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nematoda/*pathogenicity ; Republic of Korea ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium/*parasitology/pathology ; Retinitis/diagnosis/*parasitology/*therapy ; Visual Acuity

A 52-yr-old male was referred for progressive visual loss in the left eye. The decimal best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.01. Fundus examination revealed diffuse retinal pigment epithelial degeneration, focal yellow-white, infiltrative subretinal lesion with fuzzy border and a live nematode within the retina. Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) was diagnosed and the direct laser photocoagulation was performed to destroy the live nematode. During eight months after treatment, BCVA gradually improved to 0.2 along with the gradual restoration of outer retinal layers on SD-OCT. We report on the first case of DUSN in Korea. DUSN should be included in the differential diagnosis of unexplained unilateral visual loss in otherwise healthy subjects.
Animals ; Blindness/diagnosis/parasitology ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/diagnosis/parasitology/*therapy ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Laser Therapy/methods ; Light Coagulation/methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nematoda/*pathogenicity ; Republic of Korea ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium/*parasitology/pathology ; Retinitis/diagnosis/*parasitology/*therapy ; Visual Acuity

Orbital hydatid cyst is a rare form of hydatidosis, comprising less than 1% of all hydatid cysts reported. The first choice of treatment for orbital hydatid cyst is surgery. Preoperative diagnosis is important, so as to avoid rupture of the cyst and prevent the spread of the parasitic disease. Herein, we present the computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings of a case of primary orbital hydatid cyst.
Animals ; Echinococcosis ; diagnosis ; parasitology ; surgery ; Echinococcus granulosus ; isolation & purification ; Eye Infections, Parasitic ; diagnosis ; parasitology ; surgery ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging ; Orbital Diseases ; diagnosis ; parasitology ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the prevalence of ocular toxocariasis (OT) in patients with uveitis of unknown etiology who visited a tertiary hospital in South Korea and assessed the success of serum anti-Toxocara immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a diagnostic test for OT. METHODS: The records of consecutive patients with intraocular inflammation of unknown etiology were reviewed. All participants underwent clinical and laboratory investigations, including ELISA for serum anti-Toxocara IgG. OT was diagnosed based on typical clinical findings. Clinical characteristics, seropositivity, and IgG titers were compared between patients diagnosed with OT and non-OT uveitis. The seropositivity and the diagnostic value of anti-Toxocara IgG was investigated among patients with different types of uveitis. RESULTS: Of 238 patients with uveitis of unknown etiology, 71 (29.8%) were diagnosed with OT, and 80 (33.6%) had positive ELISA results for serum anti-Toxocara IgG. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA test were 91.5% (65 / 71) and 91.0% (152 / 167), respectively. The positive predictive value of the serum anti-Toxocara IgG assay was 81.3%. Among patients with anterior, intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis, the prevalence rates of OT were 8.3%, 47.1%, 44.8%, and 7.1%, respectively; the seropositivity percentages were 18.1%, 47.1%, 43.7%, and 17.9%; and the positive predictive values were 38.5%, 95.8%, 92.1%, and 40.0%. The serum anti-Toxocara IgG titer also significantly decreased following albendazole treatment. CONCLUSIONS: OT is a common cause of intraocular inflammation in the tertiary hospital setting. Considering that OT is more prevalent in intermediate and posterior uveitis, and that the positive predictive value of the anti-Toxocara IgG assay is high, a routine test for anti-Toxocara IgG might be necessary for Korean patients with intermediate and posterior uveitis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Animals ; Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic/*blood ; Aqueous Humor/parasitology ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/*diagnosis/epidemiology/parasitology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/blood/*immunology ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; *Tertiary Care Centers ; Toxocara canis/*immunology/isolation & purification ; Toxocariasis ; Uveitis/*diagnosis/epidemiology/parasitology ; Young Adult

An ocular Toxocara canis infection is reported for the first time in Vietnam. A 34-year-old man residing in a village of Son La Province, North Vietnam, visited the National Eye Hospital (NEH) in August 2011. He felt a bulge-sticking pain in his left eye and loss of vision occurred over 3 months before visiting the hospital. The eye examination in the hospital showed damage of the left eye, red eye, retinal fibrosis, retinal detachment, inflammation of the eye tissues, retinal granulomas, and a parasitic cyst inside. A larva of Toxocara was collected with the cyst by a medical doctor by surgery. Comparison of 264 nucleotides of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA was done between our Vietnamese Toxocara canis and other Toxocara geographical isolates, including Chinese T. canis, Japanese T. canis, Sri Lankan T. canis, and Iranian T. canis. The nucleotide homology was 97-99%, when our T. canis was compared with geographical isolates. Identification of a T. canis infection in the eye by a molecular method was performed for the first time in Vietnam.
Adult ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; DNA, Helminth/chemistry/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/chemistry/genetics ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Humans ; Larva ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Toxocara canis/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Toxocariasis/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Vietnam