Dirofilariasis in Vietnam: A case report and brief review

ABSTRACT

@#This report describes a rare case of ophthalmic dirofilariasis in a 68-year-old woman with red and foreign body sensation in the pterygium on her right eye. Slit lamp examination demonstrated a long-slender worm moving in her pterygium. The worm was removed surgically and then identified as Diroflaria repens by sequence analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU) gene. The situation of dirofilariasis in Vietnam has been reviewed. Since the first described case in 2010 there have been thirteen cases reported that suggested the emerging trend of the disease. Most of the documented cases of human dirofilariasis recorded in Vietnam presented with ocular infections and the responsible agent was D. repens. With the increase of reported cases of human, much more attention should be paid on control as well as diagnosis and treatment of dirofilariasis in Vietnam.