Angiostrongylus cantonensis Eosinophilic Meningitis in an Infant, Tennessee, USA

Emerg Infect Dis. 2017 Oct;23(10):1756-1758. doi: 10.3201/eid2310.170978.

Abstract

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the most common infectious cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis worldwide. This parasite is endemic to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and its global distribution is increasing. We report A. cantonensis meningoencephalitis in a 12-month-old boy in Tennessee, USA, who had not traveled outside of southwestern Tennessee or northwestern Mississippi.

Keywords: Angiostrongylus cantonensis; Tennessee; United States; eosinophil-predominant pleocytosis; meningitis/encephalitis; mild hypoglycorrhacia; parasites; rat lungworm.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones / therapeutic use
  • Albendazole / therapeutic use
  • Angiostrongylus cantonensis / drug effects
  • Angiostrongylus cantonensis / immunology
  • Angiostrongylus cantonensis / isolation & purification*
  • Angiostrongylus cantonensis / pathogenicity
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Helminth / blood
  • Eosinophilia / diagnosis*
  • Eosinophilia / drug therapy
  • Eosinophilia / parasitology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Meningoencephalitis / diagnosis*
  • Meningoencephalitis / drug therapy
  • Meningoencephalitis / parasitology
  • Rats
  • Strongylida Infections / diagnosis*
  • Strongylida Infections / drug therapy
  • Strongylida Infections / parasitology
  • Strongylida Infections / transmission

Substances

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Antibodies, Helminth
  • Albendazole