External ophthalmomyiasis due to Dermatobia hominis. A case report. / Oftalmomiasis externa por Dermatobia hominis. A propósito de un caso.

CLINICAL CASE: A 46-year-old woman with no relevant medical history, native of Honduras and resident in Spain for one and a half months. The patient went to the Emergency Department due to inflammation of the upper eyelid of the right eye, with an area that simulated an abscess. This was drained (obtaining hardly any purulent content). Treatment was prescribed with oral and topical antibiotics, as well as an anti-inflammatory drug. One week later the patient returned, with improvement of the inflammatory signs, but with discomfort and corneal erosions. After eversion of the upper eyelid, a «worm¼ type parasite emerged from the tarsus. The extraction was completed with a clamp, and was later identified as Dermatobia hominis (Dh) by examination of a fresh specimen. The subsequent outcome of the patient was favourable. DISCUSSION: Preseptal cellulitis in patients from tropical and sub-tropical areas can be caused by Dh.

Precautions for breast cancer-related lymphoedema: risk from air travel, ipsilateral arm blood pressure measurements, skin puncture, extreme temperatures, and cellulitis.

Precautionary recommendations conveyed to survivors of cancer by health-care practitioners to reduce the risk of breast cancer-related lymphoedema are indispensable aspects of clinical care, yet remain unsubstantiated by high-level scientific evidence. By reviewing the literature, we identified 31 original research articles that examined whether lifestyle-associated risk factors (air travel, ipsilateral arm blood pressure measurements, skin puncture, extreme temperatures, and skin infections-eg, cellulitis) increase the risk of breast cancer-related lymphoedema. Among the few studies that lend support to precautionary guidelines, most provide low-level (levels 3-5) or inconclusive evidence of an association between lymphoedema and these risk factors, and only four level 2 studies show a significant association. Skin infections and previous infection or inflammation on the ipsilateral arm were among the most clearly defined and well established risk factors for lymphoedema. The paucity of high-level evidence and the conflicting nature of the existing literature make it difficult to establish definitive predictive factors for breast cancer-related lymphoedema, which could be a considerable source of patient distress and anxiety. Along with further research into these risk factors, continued discussion regarding modification of the guidelines and adoption of a risk-adjusted approach is needed.

A rare manifestation of cysticercosis infestation.

There are many causes of urticaria, which may vary from infections to malignancy. Among the infections, infestations by cysticercosis (larval stage of the tapeworm called Taenia solium) is an important cause. The present report is of forty four years old female who presented with urticaria and swelling on face. The swelling was later diagnosed as cysticercosis by noninvasive ultrasonography. The urticaria subsided after the treatment of cysticercosis. We report this case for rarity of its presentation.

Periorbital mass with cellulitis caused by dirofilaria.

Dirofilariasis is a zoonotic disease caused by Dirofilaria, a parasite of domestic and wild animals. The disease is transmitted by inoculation of mosquitoes infected with the microfilariae during their blood meal. Accidental infection of man results in lung nodule, subcutaneous mass anywhere in the body or ocular lesion that may be subconjunctival or periorbital. The incidence of ocular dirofilariasis is on the rise in several parts of India particularly in Kerala. Here we report a case of ocular dirofilariasis with cellulitis presenting as a periorbital mass.

Orbital cysticercosis: diagnosis and treatment controversies.

Orbital cysticercosis is a rare condition and its management is controversial. We report 2 cases of orbital cellulitis associated with cysticercosis in which the treatment with antihelminthics was withheld. The 2 children had good evolution with spontaneous progressive resolution. The current literature is reviewed.

Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis presenting as facial cellulitis.

We report a case of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania viannia braziliensis. Despite several courses of both oral and intravenous antibiotics no improvement was seen. This case highlights the importance of taking a thorough history, including details of recent travel, and considering rarer causes when no improvement with antibiotics is seen. Our patient was infected with a particularly virulent strain and destruction of the mucous membranes is not uncommon. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are therefore crucial.

Wells' syndrome associated with recurrent giardiasis.

Wells' syndrome (WS) is a rare, recurrent, inflammatory dermatosis of uncertain pathogenesis, although a hypersensitivity response to different stimuli has been postulated. Several cases in association with parasitic infections have been described. We present a patient with WS associated with recurrent giardiasis. The course of the dermatosis was strictly related to the course of the parasitic infection. Both diseases disappeared with antiparasitic treatment. To our knowledge, this association is here reported for the first time.

Progressive ocular toxoplasmosis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

We studied two patients, a 43-year-old Hispanic man with a one-year history of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and a 34-year-old Hispanic man with newly diagnosed AIDS. Both had necrotizing retinitis that progressed to panophthalmitis and orbital cellulitis. Toxoplasmosis was not diagnosed in the first patient early in the course of the disease. The second patient had a history of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Despite anti-toxoplasmosis therapy, visual acuity deteriorated to no light perception in both patients. Diagnostic biopsy of the eye wall was performed on the first patient and enucleation of the globe on the second. Toxoplasmic panophthalmitis and orbital cellulitis were diagnosed in each patient by light microscopy and confirmed by electron microscopy. When patients with AIDS develop necrotizing retinitis, toxoplasmosis must be considered in the differential diagnosis, along with cytomegalovirus retinitis, progressive outer retinal necrosis, and syphilitic retinitis. Unlike cytomegalovirus retinitis, progressive outer retinal necrosis, and syphilitic retinitis, however, toxoplasmosis can cause a progressive intraocular infection, panophthalmitis, and orbital cellulitis in patients with AIDS.