Raccoon heartworm causing a facial mass.
A Dirofilaria tenuis subcutaneous nodule was found in the supraorbital area of a 77-year-old woman living in Miami Beach. Removal of this nodule revealed the worm and confirmed the diagnosis. Infection with Dirofilaria tenuis is most common in southern Florida because of the high incidence of these worms in their natural hosts--raccoons and opossums.
Weissman
B W
BW
Miami Heart Institute, Fla.
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000473:pathology; D005138:Eyebrows; D005148:Facial Dermatoses / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D011821:Raccoons / Q000469:parasitology