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Case Report
Subconjunctival loiasis: A rare case report
1 Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Hasanuddin University Teaching Hospital, Makassar, Indonesia
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Nursyamsi Ahmad
Department of Ophthalmology , Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University , Hasanuddin University Teaching Hospital
Indonesia
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Article ID: 100006Z17NA2018
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Ahmad N, Indirawati M, Sirajuddin J, Wahyuni S. Subconjunctival loiasis: A rare case report. J Case Rep Images Opthalmol 2018;1:100006Z17NA2018.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Subconjunctival Loiasis is the infestment of the nematode Loa loa, also known as “African eye worm” in tropical West and Central Africa. This disease is transferred to humans through the bite of the deer fly of the Chrysops genus. The adult filarial worm migrates through the subcutaneous tissues, occasionally to the subconjunctival space. This disease is rarely found in Indonesia while in Africa it is an endemic disease. This case reports a patient with subconjunctival infestation of Loa loa filaria.
Case Report: A 42-year-old man was admitted due to the sensation of “moving things” in the right eye. This condition began three years ago when the patients lived in Africa as a labour. He also felt redness in his right eye but there was no decrease in visual acuity. Slit lamp examination revealed a live whitish mass moving slowly within the tissue in the infero-temporal subconjunctiva quadrant. The worm was removed surgically under topical anaesthesia and the parasitology examinations confirmed that it was an adult male Loa loa species. Treatment of maximum dose of Albendazole 200 mg twice a day, started for three weeks. There was no complaint after three months follow-up.
Conclusion: Based on the history taking, ophthalmologic examination, laboratory findings and parasitological result, we concluded that this patient has subconjunctival loiasis which is extremely rare case in Indonesia.
Keywords: African eye worm, Loa loa filaria, Subconjunctival loiasis
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Author Contributions
Nursyamsi Ahmad - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Margaret Indirawati - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Junaedi Sirajuddin - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Sitti Wahyuni - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2018 Nursyamsi Ahmad et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
