Ocular infestation by plerocercoid of Spirometra mansonoides: first case report in Peru

Abstract

Plerocercoidosis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by plerocercoid larvae of the genus Spirometra. The larvae migrate through the intestinal wall tissue, by subcutaneous route and can reach different areas of the body like the head, the brain and the eye socket. A case is reported of a 45 year-old man from the Peruvian Amazon with burning sensation associated with conjunctival edema and hemorrhage in the outer eye border of the right eye for eleven months. A localized worm in the right orbital cavity was observed, which was extracted. Morphological and histopathological studies identified it as Spirometra mansonoides localized in the eye, which is the first case reported in Peru.