OBJECTIVE: To understand the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human ocular thelaziasis patients in China. METHODS: Case reports regarding human ocular thelaziasis cases in China were retrieved in international and national electronic databases, including CNKI, VIP, CBM, Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, Wanfang Database, PubMed and Web of Science from 2011 to 2022. Patients' gender, age, clinical symptoms, treatment, recurrence, site of infections, time of onset, affected eye, affected sites, number of infected Thelazia callipaeda, sex of T. callipaeda and source of infections were extracted for descriptive analyses. RESULTS: A total of 85 eligible publications were included, covering 101 cases of human ocular thelaziasis, including 57 males (56.44%) and 44 females (43.56%) and aged from 3 months to 85 years. The main clinical manifestations included foreign body sensation (56 case-times, 22.49%), eye itching (38 case-times, 15.26%), abnormal or increased secretions (36 case-times, 14.46%), tears (28 case-times, 11.24%) and eye redness (28 case-times, 11.24%), and conjunctival congestion (50 case-times, 41.67%) was the most common clinical sign. The most common main treatment (99/101, 98.02%) was removal of parasites from eyes using ophthalmic forceps, followed by administration with ofloxacin and pranoprofen. In publications presenting thelaziasis recurrence, there were 90 cases without recurrence (97.83%) and 2 cases with recurrence (2.17%). Of all cases, 51.96% were reported in four provinces of Hubei, Shandong, Sichuan, Hebei and Henan, and ocular thelaziasis predominantly occurred in summer (42.19%) and autumn (42.19%). In addition, 56.45% (35/62) had a contact with dogs. CONCLUSIONS The human thelaziasis cases mainly occur in the continental monsoon and subtropical monsoon climate areas such as the Yellow River and the Yangtze River basin, and people of all ages and genders have the disease, with complex clinical symptoms and signs. Personal hygiene is required during the contact with dogs, cats and other animals, and individual protection is required during outdoor activities to prevent thelaziasis.
Animals ; Dogs ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Bibliometrics ; China/epidemiology* ; Seasons ; Spirurida Infections/epidemiology* ; Thelazioidea ; Eye Diseases/parasitology*

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

A 23-year-old female residing in a village of Cao Bang Province, North Vietnam, visited the Hospital of Hanoi Medical University in July 2013. She felt dim eyes and a bulge-sticking pain in her left eye for some days before visiting the hospital. In the hospital, a clinical examination, an eye endoscopy, and an operation were carried out. A nematode specimen was collected from the eye of this patient. The body of this worm was thin and long and measured 22.0x0.3 mm. It was morphologically suggested as an immature female worm of Angiostrongylus cantonensis. By a molecular method using 18S rRNA gene, this nematode was confirmed as A. cantonensis. This is the first molecular study for identification of A. cantonensis in Vietnam.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis/classification/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Eye/parasitology ; Eye Diseases/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Strongylida Infections/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Vietnam ; 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

We present a case of ocular toxocariasis treated successfully with oral albendazole in combination with steroids. A 26-year-old male visited the authors' clinic with the chief complaint of flying flies in his right eye. The fundus photograph showed a whitish epiretinal scar, and the fluorescein angiography revealed a hypofluorescein lesion of the scar and late leakage at the margin. An elevated retinal surface and posterior acoustic shadowing of the scar were observed in the optical coherence tomography, and Toxocara IgG was positive. The patient was diagnosed with toxocariasis, and the condition was treated with albendazole (400 mg twice a day) for a month and oral triamcinolone (16 mg for 2 weeks, once a day, and then 8 mg for 1 week, once a day) from day 13 of the albendazole treatment. The lesions decreased after the treatment. Based on this study, oral albendazole combined with steroids can be a simple and effective regimen for treating ocular toxocariasis.
Adult ; Albendazole/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Anthelmintics/administration & dosage/therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/administration & dosage/therapeutic use ; Eye Diseases/*drug therapy/*parasitology ; Humans ; Male ; Toxocariasis/*drug therapy ; Triamcinolone/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use

PURPOSE: Since few reports had been published on the prevalence of toxocariasis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with acute non-granulomatous anterior uveitis (ANGAU), the aim of this work was to determine the presence of antibodies against Toxocara canis in AS patients with ANGAU. METHODS: Thirty-six patients (14 female and 22 male) with AS were enrolled in the study. The history of ANGAU was accepted only if diagnosed by an ophthalmologist. The detection of IgG antibodies to T. canis was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, antibodies to Ascaris lumbricoides were also tested to verify non-specific reactions. RESULTS: The prevalence of ANGAU in the AS patients was 58% (21 / 36), and 38% (8 / 21) of the patients with ANGAU were positive for antibodies to Toxocara, while 7% (1 / 15) of AS patients without ANGAU were positive for T. canis (p = 0.038, two tails; mid-p exact). No antibodies were detected to A. lumbricoides antigens in the serum samples of patients with AS. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the seroprevalence of antibodies to T. canis is high in Mexican patients with AS-associated uveitis, suggesting a chronic asymptomatic toxocariosis, which could be associated with the pathogenesis of ANGAU; however, further larger-scale studies are needed to confirm this observation.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic/*isolation & purification ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eye Infections, Parasitic/complications/*immunology/parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/*immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing/*complications/immunology/parasitology ; Toxocara canis/*immunology/isolation & purification ; Toxocariasis/complications/*immunology/parasitology ; Uveitis, Anterior/complications/*immunology/parasitology ; Young Adult

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

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

This study aimed to explore the clinical, radiological, and pathological characteristics of intraocular cysticercosis due to Taenia solium metacestode infection. Total 8 patients diagnosed with intraocular cysticercosis at the Red Cross Hospital of Yunnan Province, China were examined retrospectively. Patients with clear dioptic media had undergone fundus chromophotography. All patients underwent B ultrasonography of the ocular region (CT) successive scanning of the orbit and cerebral tissues. Parasites were extracted surgically and then examined pathologically. The fundus chromophotography showed a white and condensing scolex package in the vesicle. The B ultrasonic examination showed a vesicle-like echogenic mass in the vitreous chamber, in which the high-level echo spot was the cysticercus scolex. The pathological examinations showed that the vesicle wall exhibited hyaline degeneration, inflammatory cell infiltration, neuroglial fiber, and glial cell proliferation layers from the inside to the outside. The scolex is round and is composed of the outer tissue (the body wall) and the inner furrow tissue; these tissues migrated together. Primordially differentiated sucking discs were found in one case, but no hooklets were found. The inner scolex tissue was folded like a paper flower. The severity of intraocular disease is closely correlated with the pathophysiological processes of the cysticercus worm. Pathological examination of the intraocular lesions can help to evaluate the course of the disease as well as to provide a scientific basis for effective antiparasitic medication.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Child ; China ; Cysticercosis/*diagnosis/parasitology/*pathology ; Endophthalmitis/*diagnosis/parasitology/*pathology ; Eye/*pathology/radiography/ultrasonography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Taenia solium/*isolation & purification ; Young Adult