The surgical removal of a live, 11-centimetre-long worm from the left eyelid of a 26-year-old woman in Romania has caught the attention of international doctors and researchers.
The case was described by experts from the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest in a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine on November 22.
The young woman sought care after noticing, the previous day, a moving structure under the skin of her eyelid, accompanied by redness and swelling. The jagged appearance of the lesion raised immediate suspicions of a parasite, a hypothesis that was confirmed during the procedure that removed the nematode of this species. Dirofilaria recursIt is transmitted by mosquitoes.
The woman later reported that, about a month ago, she noticed a small hard lump on her right temple. The mass disappeared just a day before the lesion appeared in the eye, indicating that the worm had migrated through the subcutaneous tissue until it reached the eyelid.
How does the parasite reach humans?
the D- Repetition It is common in dogs and wild dogs, such as wolves and foxes. However, humans are considered accidental hosts.
Examination of the worm extracted from the eyelid showed two uterine structures containing microfilariae, a larval stage that rarely appears in human blood.
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The patient had a dog, a factor that increases the chance of exposure to mosquitoes that transmit the parasite. This species is endemic to the Mediterranean region, but recent studies indicate expansion into regions of northern and eastern Europe, as well as regions in Africa and Asia.
treatment
Despite the impact that a condition like this can cause, treatment is usually simple when done quickly. Surgical resection resolves the condition in most cases.
Depending on the condition, doctors may prescribe antiparasitic medications or antibiotics to prevent secondary infections. In the case of the Roman patient, the symptoms disappeared shortly after the worm was removed.
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