Cutaneous gnathostomiasis in a woman from Bangladesh.
A woman from Bangladesh who had lived in Germany for more than 2 years presented with migratory, painful swellings on her left hand and arm of 5 months duration. Laboratory examinations yielded a marked eosinophilia and a grossly elevated IgE level in combination with an inflammatory reaction restricted to the subcutaneous tissues. A preliminary diagnosis of gnathostomiasis was established and confirmed by a positive gnathostoma serology by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Treatment was initiated with albendazole, leading to the outward migration of a larva and complete resolution of clinical disease. Currently, there is no definitive therapy that has been proved to be both safe and highly effective. A wide range of potential agents has been used in clinical studies, but only albendazole has proved to be reliably effective to date, stimulating the outward migration of larvae in a proportion of cases of cutaneous disease, as observed in the present case.
Grobusch
M P
MP
Medical Clinic (Infectious Diseases), Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. martin.grobusch@charite.de
Bergmann
F
F
Teichmann
D
D
Klein
E
E
D000328:Adult; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D001459:Bangladesh; D005260:Female; D006039:Gnathostoma; D006801:Humans; D012876:Skin Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D017205:Spirurida Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology
D000871:Anthelmintics; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D015766:Albendazole