TY - JOUR
T1 - Imported Loa loa filariasis
T2 - Three cases and a review of cases reported in non-endemic countries in the past 25 years
AU - Antinori, Spinello
AU - Schifanella, Luca
AU - Million, Matthieu
AU - Galimberti, Laura
AU - Ferraris, Laurenzia
AU - Mandia, Luca
AU - Trabucchi, Giuseppe
AU - Cacioppo, Viviana
AU - Monaco, Gaspare
AU - Tosoni, Antonella
AU - Brouqui, Philippe
AU - Gismondo, Maria Rita
AU - Giuliani, Giuseppe
AU - Corbellino, Mario
PY - 2012/9/1
Y1 - 2012/9/1
N2 - Objectives: The aim of this study was to highlight the increasing chance of Western physicians encountering patients (both immigrants and expatriates/travelers) seeking help for loiasis. Methods: We describe three cases of imported loiasis observed at two hospitals in Italy and France, and present a review of all previously published cases in the medical literature in the last 25 years (1986-2011). The search was performed using PubMed and Scopus databases using the terms " Loa loa" AND " loiasis" Results: We reviewed 101 cases of imported loiasis of which 61 (60.4%) were reported from Europe and 31 (30.7%) from the USA. Seventy-five percent of infestations were acquired in three countries: Cameroon, Nigeria, and Gabon. Overall, peripheral blood microfilariae were detected in 61.4% of patients, eosinophilia in 82.1%, eye worm migration in 53.5%, and Calabar swellings in 41.6%. However, Calabar swellings and eosinophilia were more common among expatriates/travelers, whereas African immigrants were more likely to have microfilaremia. Eye worm migration was observed in a similar proportion in the two groups. Only 35 patients (including the three described here) underwent clinical follow-up for a median period of 10.5 months (range 1-84 months); clinical relapse occurred in three of these patients and persistence or reappearance of blood microfilaria in another two. Conclusions: Due to increasing travel and the migration of people from the endemic countries of West Africa to Europe and the USA, we speculate on the possible emergence of loiasis. Western physicians should be aware of the typical (eye worm migration and Calabar swellings) as well as unusual clinical presentations.
AB - Objectives: The aim of this study was to highlight the increasing chance of Western physicians encountering patients (both immigrants and expatriates/travelers) seeking help for loiasis. Methods: We describe three cases of imported loiasis observed at two hospitals in Italy and France, and present a review of all previously published cases in the medical literature in the last 25 years (1986-2011). The search was performed using PubMed and Scopus databases using the terms " Loa loa" AND " loiasis" Results: We reviewed 101 cases of imported loiasis of which 61 (60.4%) were reported from Europe and 31 (30.7%) from the USA. Seventy-five percent of infestations were acquired in three countries: Cameroon, Nigeria, and Gabon. Overall, peripheral blood microfilariae were detected in 61.4% of patients, eosinophilia in 82.1%, eye worm migration in 53.5%, and Calabar swellings in 41.6%. However, Calabar swellings and eosinophilia were more common among expatriates/travelers, whereas African immigrants were more likely to have microfilaremia. Eye worm migration was observed in a similar proportion in the two groups. Only 35 patients (including the three described here) underwent clinical follow-up for a median period of 10.5 months (range 1-84 months); clinical relapse occurred in three of these patients and persistence or reappearance of blood microfilaria in another two. Conclusions: Due to increasing travel and the migration of people from the endemic countries of West Africa to Europe and the USA, we speculate on the possible emergence of loiasis. Western physicians should be aware of the typical (eye worm migration and Calabar swellings) as well as unusual clinical presentations.
KW - African eye worm
KW - Calabar swellings
KW - Imported filariasis
KW - Loa loa
KW - Treatment
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ijid.2012.05.1023
DO - 10.1016/j.ijid.2012.05.1023
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22784545
AN - SCOPUS:84865571148
SN - 1201-9712
VL - 16
SP - e649-e662
JO - International Journal of Infectious Diseases
JF - International Journal of Infectious Diseases
IS - 9
ER -