Dirofilaria Repens in the Eyelid: Case Report of Subcutaneous Manifestation (original) (raw)

2009, European Journal of Ophthalmology

Zoonotic filarial infections in humans are relatively common and mostly due to parasites in the genus Dirofilaria spp., in particular Dirofilaria immitis, D repens, D tenuis, and D ursi. In the United States, D tenuis, a parasite of raccoons, was established to be the primary agent, while in Europe, Middle Eastern countries, Africa, and Southest Asia, D repens was the most responsible parasite (1). D repens is a natural parasite of carnivores, primarily dogs, foxes, and cats (2). D repens infections are particularly common and often reported from European countries surrounding the Mediterranean, particularly Italy (168 cases), France (53 cases), and Greece (21 cases) (3). Related to the widespread presence of D repens in the usual reservoir (the dog) and of the possible carriers for humans (Culicidi species) , it is presumible that dirofilariasis in humans are more frequent than those published in literature (4).