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

BACKGROUND: Several Philippine studies on selected neglected parasitic diseases cite major challenges in laboratory diagnosis that require review of standards, policies and practices.
OBJECTIVES: This review aims to: (1) describe the epidemiology of selected neglected parasitic diseases in the Philippines; (2) describe the current status of laboratory diagnosis of these diseases in terms of standards, policies and practices; and (3) identify challenges and opportunities for improvement of laboratory diagnosis.
METHODS: Epidemiologic data were collected from published scientific papers and monographs. International standards were gathered from journal articles and the World Health Organization (WHO). Philippine policies were obtained from interviews with the Department of Health (DOH) and other agencies. Recommendations for policy and practice were formulated based on evidence and feasibility.
RESULTS: High prevalence of neglected parasitic diseases in the country, coupled with lack of national policies on diagnosis and quality assurance guidelines specific to parasitology, pose significant challenges to accurate diagnosis.
CONCLUSION: Results of this review merit the development of a comprehensive Philippine policy on a quality assurance scheme for parasitology laboratories and stronger licensing standards. This policy should be supported through a network of reference centers that coordinate parasitology training, staff certification, and laboratory accreditation.

Human ; Animal ; Male ; Female ; Parasitic Diseases ; Laboratories ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Quality Control ; Parasitology

Intestinal giant-cystic disease (IGCD) of the Israel carp (Cyprinus carpio nudus) has been recognized as one of the most serious diseases afflicting inland farmed fish in the Republic of Korea, and Thelohanellus kitauei has been identified as the causative agent of the disease. Until now, studies concerning IGCD caused by T. kitauei in the Israel carp have been limited to morphological and histopathological examinations. However, these types of diagnostic examinations are relatively time-consuming, and the infection frequently cannot be detected in its early stages. In this study, we cloned the full-length 18S rRNA gene of T. kitauei isolated from diseased Israel carps, and carried out molecular identification by comparing the sequence with those of other myxosporeans. Moreover, conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) using oligonucleotide primers for the amplification of 18S rRNA gene fragment were established for further use as methods for rapid diagnosis of IGCD. Our results demonstrated that both the conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR systems applied herein are effective for rapid detection of T. kitauei spores in fish tissues and environmental water.
Animals ; Carps ; DNA Primers/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry/genetics ; Fish Diseases/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/*methods ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Myxozoa/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Parasitic Diseases, Animal/*diagnosis/parasitology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S/genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods ; Republic of Korea ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Time Factors ; Veterinary Medicine/*methods