Histopathological diagnosis of human Dirofilaria repens infection: report on three cases with unusual sites of involvement

Alessandro D‘Amuri; Federica Floccari; Francesco De Caro; Marcello Filotico

Volume : VI, Issue : XII, December - 2017

Histopathological diagnosis of human Dirofilaria repens infection: report on three cases with unusual sites of involvement

Alessandro D 8216 Amuri, Federica Floccari, Francesco De Caro, Marcello Filotico

Abstract :

Human zoonotic filariasis due to Dirofilaria repens is a world–wide infection occasionally transmitted to man by a zooanthropophilic bloodsucking mosquito belonging to the generae Culex. Dirofilarias live in the subcutaneous tissue of their hosts causing the formation of nodules which normally requires surgical removal and an histological examination. Rare localizations have also been reported in deep tissues like the lung, spermatic cord and uterine round ligament.

Since epidemiological data suggest that human zoonotic filariasis represents an Italian emergent zoonosis, the aim of these case report is to better characterize dirofilariasis endemic zones in order to develop a general view of this problem entity and its changing in geographical distributions, giving histopathologists and parasitologists new useful data concerning the nematode features and diffusion. We report on three cases of human infections in unusual sites of involvement for this parasitosis, diagnosed in Southern Italy.