title: Intraocular gnathostomiasis: report of a case and review of literature.
abstract: Intraocular gnathostomiasis is a rare parasitic infection caused by the third-stage larvae of spiruroid nematode Gnanthostoma spp. seen mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a food-borne zoonosis caused by ingestion of raw or undercooked freshwater fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, all of which are known to harbor advanced third-stage larvae of Gnanthostoma spp. To date, 74 cases of intraocular gnathostomiasis have been reported from 12 different countries. Only four countries have reported more than 10 cases each, and India shares the rare distinction of being one of them, with 14 cases. Surprisingly, not a single case of cutaneous gnanthostomiasis has ever been reported from India. We present one such case of intraocular gnathostomiasis in a 41-year-old male who presented with an actively motile worm attached to the iris, and we review the pertinent literature of all such cases reported from India.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Ponekara, Kochi, Kerala, India. gopalspillai@gmail.com
authors.forename: Gopal S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Pillai
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Radhakrishnan
authors.forename: Jayasree
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maniyelil
authors.forename: Tufela
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shafi
authors.forename: Kavitha R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Dinesh
authors.forename: Shamsul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D015822:Eye Infections, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D005399:Fishes / Q000469:parasitology; D005506:Food Contamination; D016266:Food Parasitology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D005618:Fresh Water; D006039:Gnathostoma / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D058429:Gnathostomiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D015766:Albendazole