Abstract

Dirofilariasis is a rare zoonotic disease which is commonly caused by two Dirofilaria species; Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens. Humans are accidental dead-end hosts of the parasites, and the infection is mainly asymptomatic. Here, we report the case of a 54-year-old Thai woman who experienced a painful left shoulder nodule and eosinophilia for 1 month. An excisional biopsy of the nodule revealed a degenerated filarial nematode compatible with adult females of the Dirofilaria species. Molecular identification of the partial 12 mt rRNA gene of the worm confirmed that the causative species was D. repens, a zoonotic filariasis that causes subcutaneous dirofilariasis in dogs and cats. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first reported case of subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused by D. repens in Thailand. This increased concerns about zoonotic filariasis from natural animal reservoirs in Thailand.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.