ABSTRACT
We present the case of a young male patient who presented with pain, redness and foreign body sensation in his left eye. There was no associated decrease in vision. Three live larvae were removed from his left conjunctival sac and sent to the laboratory for identification. The patient was treated symptomatically and his symptoms were mostly resolved by the following day. The larvae were later identified as the first instar of the sheep nasal botfly. Poor sanitation and exposure to livestock were among the identified risk factors in this case. Physicians must have this as a differential diagnosis for conjunctivitis in patients with risk factors. This is the first reported case of ophthalmomyiasis from Jamaica.
Subject(s)
Conjunctivitis/diagnosis , Diptera/physiology , Eye Infections, Parasitic/diagnosis , Myiasis/diagnosis , Adolescent , Animals , Conjunctivitis/parasitology , Diagnosis, Differential , Eye Infections, Parasitic/parasitology , Eye Infections, Parasitic/therapy , Humans , Jamaica , Larva/cytology , Male , Myiasis/parasitology , Myiasis/therapy , Risk Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We describe a case of chronic conjunctivitis related to phthiriasis palpebrarum. A 36 year-old female presented with gradual pruritus and painless ocular hyperaemia over the previous 3 months. On examination, nasal pterygium, conjunctival hyperaemia, oedema, and mild hypertrophy of the palpebral margin were observed. A slit-lamp examination revealed numerous creamy oval structures approximately 1 mm in diameter localised in the middle area of the lashes, and bloody crusts and a semi-transparent deposit were present in the superior palpebral margin. Based on the observation of numerous nits at the base of the eyelashes and the ectoparasite in the palpebral margin, a diagnosis of phthiriasis palpebrarum was made. The patient was referred to an infectologist for evaluation of other sexually transmitted diseases and examination of other body areas. She was successfully treated with oral ivermectin, shampoo for ciliary hygiene and artificial tears. Other recommendations to avoid re-infestation were made, such as changing, washing and sterilising clothes, towels and sheets daily. This report emphasizes the importance of the correct diagnosis and management of this disease, considered as sexually transmitted.
Subject(s)
Conjunctivitis/etiology , Eye Infections, Parasitic/etiology , Eyelashes/parasitology , Eyelid Diseases/complications , Lice Infestations/complications , Phthirus , Adult , Animals , Conjunctivitis/parasitology , Eye Infections, Parasitic/parasitology , Eyelid Diseases/parasitology , Female , Humans , Lice Infestations/parasitologyABSTRACT
Species of Philophthalmus parasitize primarily the eyes of wild and domestic birds. A variety of mammals, including humans, occasionally serve as the intermediate as well as the definitive hosts for this parasite, although human cases are extremely rare. Here, we report a case of human conjunctivitis caused by an infection with Philophthalmus sp. in Mexico. The patient was a 31-yr-old male who visited an ophthalmologist in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, because of a foreign-body sensation in his left eye for 2 mo. A small live parasite was found in the connective tissue of the bulbar conjunctiva and was removed surgically under local anesthesia under ophthalmoscopic observation. The parasite was identified morphologically as Philophthalmus lacrimosus Braun, 1902. This is the first case of human philophthalmosis in Mexico and, to our knowledge, the first human case of P. lacrimosus infection in the world.
Subject(s)
Conjunctivitis/parasitology , Eye Infections, Parasitic/parasitology , Trematoda/isolation & purification , Trematode Infections/veterinary , Adult , Animals , Conjunctivitis/diagnosis , Eye Infections, Parasitic/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Trematoda/anatomy & histology , Trematode Infections/diagnosis , Trematode Infections/parasitologyABSTRACT
A 65-year old woman suffered from therapy resistant chronic blepharoconjunctivitis and rosacea, without improvement under therapy of systemic and topic antibiotics and topic steroids and antihistamines. Demodex folliculorum was found adhered to the hair bulb on microscopic examination. She received oral ivermectin with good response. Two months later demodicidosis recurred. Then she was treated with a combination of ivermectin and transfer factor with total remission. Demodex folliculorum considered as saprophytic mite may play a pathogenic role in ocular diseases.
Subject(s)
Blepharitis/diagnosis , Blepharitis/parasitology , Conjunctivitis/diagnosis , Conjunctivitis/parasitology , Mite Infestations/diagnosis , Aged , Blepharitis/drug therapy , Conjunctivitis, Allergic/diagnosis , Conjunctivitis, Allergic/drug therapy , Diagnostic Errors , Female , HumansABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To demonstrate a case of palpebral myiasis caused by Dermatobia hominis in a Dane traveling in the Brazilian rain forest. METHODS: Surgical removal and histological examination. RESULTS: Within three weeks after returning from the Brazilian rain forest, the patient developed a localized swelling of the left upper eyelid and follicular conjunctivitis. A funnel containing a larva was found between the cilia. The larva was excised together with surrounding inflammatory tissue. The clinical findings as well as zoological and pathological examinations indicated a case of palpebral myiasis caused by Dermatobia hominis. The larva was removed in its third stage four weeks from symptom debut. CONCLUSIONS: Infestation with Dermatobia hominis should be suspected when itching and red swelling of the lid are present in patients who have been to Central and South America.