Thelazia callipaeda Ocular Infection

Chang Shen Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China;

Search for other papers by Chang Shen in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Peifang Ren Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China;

Search for other papers by Peifang Ren in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Qing Xu Department of Clinical Laboratory Parasitology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China

Search for other papers by Qing Xu in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
, and
Hong Lu Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China;

Search for other papers by Hong Lu in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close

A 26-year-old female from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, presented with a complaint of foreign body sensation in her left eye for 5 days. She did not own an animal and had no history of contact with one. She recalled only a camping trip about 2 months ago. Examination of the eye by slit-lamp biomicroscopy revealed slight hyperemia in the conjunctiva of her left eye, and several semihyaline nematodes wriggled in the conjunctiva sac (Figure 1, Supplemental Video 1). There was no obvious secretion, conjunctiva papilla, or follicle. Two nematodes were taken out by swab and then submitted to the infectious disease department laboratory for analysis and identification. In the following week, four additional nematodes were removed from the conjunctiva fornix of her left eye by two scrupulous ophthalmologists. The worms were identified as Thelazia callipaeda.1 Each worm had a typical scalariform buccal cavity and conical tail2 (Figure 2).

Figure 1.
Figure 1.

Anterior segment photography showed semihyaline nematodes wriggling in the conjunctival sac. There was slight hyperemia of the conjunctiva without other symptoms of the eye.

Citation: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 109, 6; 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0330

Figure 2.
Figure 2.

Thelazia callipaeda under microscope. (A) Two worms were removed from the patients’ conjunctival sac, and both worms had a conical tail as well as a scalariform buccal cavity, which is the key feature of Thelazia callipaeda. (B) The upper right worm was a male worm with a spiculum. (C) The lower left worm was a female with uterine tubules in the middle of the body, which contained several eggs. (D) The scalariform buccal cavity is shown.

Citation: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 109, 6; 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0330

Supplemental Materials

Download MP4

REFERENCES

  • 1.↑

    Otranto D , Traversa D , 2005. Thelazia eyeworm: an original endo- and ecto-parasitic nematode. Trends Parasitol 21: 1–4.

  • 2.↑

    Naem S , 2005. Ultrastructural observations on the surface of Thelazia lacrymalis (Nematoda: Spirurida, Thelaziidae). Acta Vet Hung 53: 205–212.

Author Notes

Authors’ addresses: Chang Shen, Peifang Ren, and Hong Lu, Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China, E-mails: shenc_0526@163.com, 1508021@zju.edu.cn, and lh0571@zju.edu.cn. Qing Xu, Department of Clinical Laboratory Parasitology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China, E-mail: xuqing0826@163.com.

Address correspondence to Hong Lu, Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China. E-mail: lh0571@zju.edu.cn
  • Figure 1.

    Anterior segment photography showed semihyaline nematodes wriggling in the conjunctival sac. There was slight hyperemia of the conjunctiva without other symptoms of the eye.

  • Figure 2.

    Thelazia callipaeda under microscope. (A) Two worms were removed from the patients’ conjunctival sac, and both worms had a conical tail as well as a scalariform buccal cavity, which is the key feature of Thelazia callipaeda. (B) The upper right worm was a male worm with a spiculum. (C) The lower left worm was a female with uterine tubules in the middle of the body, which contained several eggs. (D) The scalariform buccal cavity is shown.

  • 1.

    Otranto D , Traversa D , 2005. Thelazia eyeworm: an original endo- and ecto-parasitic nematode. Trends Parasitol 21: 1–4.

  • 2.

    Naem S , 2005. Ultrastructural observations on the surface of Thelazia lacrymalis (Nematoda: Spirurida, Thelaziidae). Acta Vet Hung 53: 205–212.

Past two years Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 1894 1302 809
PDF Downloads 451 211 21
 

 

 

 
 
Affiliate Membership Banner
 
 
Research for Health Information Banner
 
 
CLOCKSS
 
 
 
Society Publishers Coalition Banner
Save