[Clinical analysis of eight patients with pulmonary toxocariasis].
We encountered 8 adult cases of pulmonary toxocariasis. Five were asymptomatic, 1 had transient chest pain, 1 suffered from arthralgia and migrating skin pain, and 1 had chest discomfort due to pneumothorax. Infection was associated with the consumption of raw liver with paratenic hosts in 5 patients. The cause was suspected to be contact with infected young dogs in 1 case and was undetermined in 2 cases. All 8 cases showed some abnormalities in their laboratory examination results including eosinophilia (>500/microl) and elevated IgE (>100 IU), and all had positive results in serological examinations for the larval excretory-secretory product of Toxocara canis. In 7 patients, excluding the patient with pneumothorax, chest computed tomography demonstrated multiple small pulmonary lesions, most of which were either nodules with halos, or ground-glass opacities. One patient recovered without medication, while the other 7 were treated with albendazole (ABZ) with good responses. Although the optimal duration of ABZ therapy has not been established, 4 weeks or longer seemed necessary to obtain a complete cure in pulmonary toxocariasis.
Yoshikawa
Masahide
M
Department of Parasitology, Nara Medical University.
Koyama
Noriko
N
Hontsu
Shigeto
S
Yamamoto
Yoshifumi
Y
Ogawa
Shuhei
S
Nakamura
Takahito
T
Mizuno
Youka
Y
Miura
Sachiko
S
Mikasa
Kei-ichi
K
Kimura
Hiroshi
H
D000328:Adult; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008174:Lung Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
D000871:Anthelmintics; D015766:Albendazole