Abstract

1. Abstract
We report the case of a 56-year-old man with subconjunctival ocular dirofilariasis caused by Dirofilaria repens. The treatment consisted in the surgical extraction of the parasite. The parasite species was identified via polymerase chain reaction.
2. Introduction
Dirofilaria repens is a filarial nematode of domestic and wild carnivores (dogs, cats and foxes), usually found in the hosts subcutaneous tissue, and can accidentally infect humans [1-3]. Of all dirofilaria species, D. immitis and D. (Noctiella) repens are most commonly involved with human infection due to their high prevalence and incidence although other dirofilaria species like D. tenuis, D. ursi or D. subdermata can infect humans [1, 4]. Infective larvae are transmitted by mosquitoes during a blood meal and develop into adult worms in animals and into immature worms in aberrant hosts such as humans [1]. The most common site for human dirofilariasis are subcutaneous and ocular lesions causing itching, erythema and swelling [5-7] or foreign body sensation [8]. Treatment usually consists in the surgical removal of the parasite [9].