Gnathostomiasis is the humaninfection by the nematode (roundworm) Gnathostoma spinigerum and/or Gnathostoma hispidum, which infects vertebrate animals. Specifically, the disease is due to migrating immature worms.
Migration in the subcutaneous tissues (under the skin) causes intermittent, migratory, painful, pruritic swellings (cutaneous larva migrans). Migration to other tissues (visceral larva migrans), can result in cough, hematuria, ocular (eye) involvement, meningitis, encephalitis and eosinophilia.
Laboratory Diagnosis
Diagnosis of gnathostomiasis is possible (with microscopy) after removal of the worm.
Gnathostomiasis is a rare infection that most often results from ingestion of the third-stage larvae of the nematode Gnathostoma spinigerum, although several other species also cause humandisease.
Gnathostomiasis is an uncommon disease, even in endemic areas of Southeast Asia (including Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand) and Latin America (mainly Mexico and Ecuador), although its incidence appears to be increasing, possibly because of changing dietary habits.
Gnathostomiasis can persist 10-12 years and may cause significant morbidity because of its propensity to involve any part of the body.
This case series represents a small proportion of gnathostomiasis patients receiving medical care in the United Kingdom, in whom this uncommon parasiticinfection is mostly undiagnosed.
The case notes of patients in whom gnathostomiasis was diagnosed at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases were reviewed retrospectively for clinical symptoms and confirmatory serologic results for the period April 1, 2000, to March 31, 2001.
All serologic testing for gnathostomiasis was performed in the Department of Helminthology of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand.
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