Unusual feline Dirofilaria immitis infection: a case report / Infecção incomum por Dirofilaria immitis em felino: relato de caso

Abstract Cats are less susceptible to Dirofilaria immitis infection than dogs. Although rare, the feline disease can be fatal even with low parasitic loads. The infection is often asymptomatic or has non-specific symptoms that are mainly associated with the death of immature worms. Microfilaremia is rare and transient. Normally, microfilaremia, when present, lasts for not more than 33 days. This study describes a feline case presenting with non-specific clinical signs and prolonged microfilaremia. Case: a random bred cat infected by feline leukemia virus (FeLV) that was found to be microfilaremic by chance. The infection was detected by the presence of microfilariae in a blood smear and was confirmed by antigen test (SNAP Feline Triple Test, Idexx®) and echocardiogram.

Resumo Gatos são menos susceptíveis à infecção por Dirofilaria immitis do que cães. Apesar de rara, a doença nos gatos pode ser fatal mesmo com baixas cargas parasitárias. Muitas vezes, a doença é assintomática ou apresenta sintomas inespecíficos, principalmente associados com a morte de formas parasitárias imaturas. Microfilaremia é rara e transitória. Normalmente, quando ocorre microfilaremia, ela permanece por, no máximo, 33 dias. Este estudo descreve o caso de um felino que apresentava sinais inespecíficos e microfilaremia prolongada: um gato sem raça definida, portador de infecção pelo vírus da leucemia felina (FeLV) que foi diagnosticado como microfilaremico ao acaso. A infecção foi detectada pela presença de microfilárias em esfregaço sanguíneo e, posteriormente, confirmada pelo teste de antígenos (SNAP Feline Triple Test, Idexx®) e por ecocardiograma.

Subconjuctival Loa loa with Calabar Swelling

Loa loa is unique among the human filariae in that adult worms are occasionally visible during subconjuntival migration. A 29-yr-old African female student, living in Korea for the past 5 yr without ever visiting her home country, presented with acute eyelid swelling and a sensation of motion on the left eyeball. Her symptoms started one day earlier and became worse over time. Examination revealed a threadlike worm beneath the left upper bulbar conjunctiva with mild eyelid swelling as well as painless swelling of the right forearm. Upon exposure to slit-lamp illumination, a sudden movement of the worm toward the fornix was noted. After surgical extraction, parasitologic analysis confirmed the worm to be a female adult Loa loa with the vulva at the extreme anterior end. On blood smear, the microfilariae had characteristic features of Loa loa, including sheath and body nuclei up to the tip of the tail. The patient also showed eosinophilia (37%) measuring 4,100/microliter. She took ivermectin (200 microgram/kg) as a single dose and suffered from a mild fever and chills for one day. This patient, to the best of our knowledge, is the first case of subconjunctival loiasis with Calabar swelling in Korea.

Discovery of a Residual Focus of Bancroftian Filariasis after Declaration of its Transmission Interruption in Guangxi / 中国寄生虫学与寄生虫病杂志

Objective To describe the discovery of a residual foci of bancroftian filariasis in Fuchuan County where the disease was announced to have been eliminated, and reveal its epidemiologic feature.Methods The investigation was carried out from August 2007 to March 2008 among residents in Changtang village where the first caseof filariasiswas found and the neighboring villages.They were screened with two thick blood smears.Immunochromatographic technology(ICT) was conducted for those going out but returned and those in surrounding areas.Vector mosquitoes were collected and dissected to find filaria larvae.Historical documents were reviewed and relevant people were interviewed.Results In Changtang administrative village, 1 052 residents were screened and 19 cases with microfilaremia were found in 2 natural villages, with a Mf-positive rate of 1.8%(5.1% in Gangshang and 1.4% in Yinshan respectively).No Mf-positive case was found in 4 119 residents screened in other 3 villages.The average microfilaria density in the 19 cases was 17.37/60 ?l blood.All the 19 cases belonged to 12 families, and 13 cases were relatives to each other, which showed a feature of spatial clustering and family clustering.More patients were identified in the age groups of 20-29 and 50-59, and 57.9% of them were older than 50 years.No larvae were found in 54 Culex pipiens fatigans dissected.Conclusion The Changtang village is identified as a residual focus of bancroftian filariasis with a low, limited endemicity.More cases have been among the elderly with a low average microfilaremia.