Open AccessEosinophilic meningitis in New Caledonia: The role of Angiostrongylus cantonensis?
Author(s) -
B. Melot,
Gauthier Delvallez,
Ann-Claire Gourinat,
Nicolas Molko,
Cyrille Goarant,
Yves-Marie Ducrot,
Emilie Huguon,
C. Cazorla,
Martine Chauvet,
Antoine Biron,
Julien Colot
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0254964
Subject(s) - angiostrongylus cantonensis , angiostrongyliasis , incidence (geometry) , etiology , meningitis , lungworm , pediatrics , epidemiology , eosinophilic , medicine , biology , helminths , immunology , pathology , physics , optics
Eosinophilic meningitis is a rare form of meningitis with sequelae or death occurring in approximately 2–3% of cases. The most frequent etiological agent is the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis . The aim of this study was to characterize New Caledonian cases and to assess the extent to which of A . cantonensis was involved. Material and methods We performed a retrospective study of all cases of eosinophilic meningitis (EM) admitted to the Territorial Hospital of New Caledonia, from 2004 to 2019. We performed a descriptive and a multivariate analysis to identify association of variables with severe and fatal cases (or cases with sequelae). Conclusion Angiostrongyliasis was confirmed as being responsible for 17 of the 92 reported EM cases in New Caledonia from 2004 to 2019 with most being young adults and non-walking infants, and with two peaks of incidence one during the dry season and one during the rainy season. Considering the high incidence and regularity of cases, the potential reservoirs should be identified to target prevention campaigns.