Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused by Dirofilaria repens in Greece: a case report.
- Journal:
- Journal of cutaneous pathology
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Tzanetou, Konstantina et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Microbiology
Plain-English summary
A case was reported in Greece involving a person who developed a lump under the skin in the groin area, which became painful, swollen, and red just two days before they saw a doctor. This lump was caused by a parasite called Dirofilaria repens, which is typically found in the skin of dogs, cats, and wild carnivores. The doctor surgically removed the lump, and tests confirmed the presence of the parasite. This case highlights the need for doctors to consider this type of infection when they see similar lumps in areas where the parasite is common. The treatment was successful in removing the parasite.
Abstract
Dirofilaria repens (formerly Dirofilaria conjunctiva) is a natural parasite of the subcutaneous tissues of dogs, cats and wild carnivores in Europe, Africa and Asia. Microfilariae are transmitted to humans by various species of mosquito. An autochthonous case of subcutaneous dirofilariasis is reported in a Greek patient from the island of Corfu. The clinical manifestation of the infection was a palpable, painless, subcutaneous nodule in the region of the groin, which 2 days before the patient consulted the doctor developed symptoms and signs of inflammation (pain, edema and redness). The entire lesion was surgically removed, and the nematode worm D. repens was identified on histological sections of biopsy material. The aim of this report was (a) to describe the microscopic morphological features of D. repens that enable identification of the parasite on histological examination and (b) to emphasize the importance of consideration of subcutaneous dirofilariasis in the differential diagnosis of subcutaneous nodules with inflammatory eosinophilic infiltration in countries where the infection is endemic.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19586500/