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A fatal case of angiostrongyliasis in an 11‐month‐old infant
Author(s) -
CookeYarborough Claire M,
Kornberg Andrew J,
Hogg Geoffrey G,
Spratt David M,
Forsyth Jocelyn RL
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1999.tb127880.x
Subject(s) - angiostrongylus cantonensis , angiostrongyliasis , medicine , myelitis , autopsy , eosinophilia , pathology , etiology , cerebrospinal fluid , spinal cord , lungworm , meningitis , lung , eosinophilic , pediatrics , helminths , immunology , psychiatry
An 11‐month‐old boy developed flaccid quadriparesis after two months in Fiji, and was transferred to Australia, where a diagnosis of postinfectious myelitis was made. Despite peripheral blood eosinophilia, eosinophils were not detected in the cerebrospinal fluid, and an infective aetiology was not identified. The patient died of progressive bulbar dysfunction. At autopsy, numerous nematodes, identified as Angiostrongylus cantonensis, were seen invessels of the lungs, brain and spinal cord, associated with pulmonary abscesses and eosinophilic meningitis. A notable feature was the presence of adult nematodes in the lung.