A case of human conjunctival dirofilariosis by Dirofilaria immitis in Italy

Purpose: To describe a case of human conjunctival dirofialirosis by Dirofilaria immitis. Patient/Methods: A 51 year-old man from the Emilia-Romagna region of north-eastern Italy referred for ocular foreign body sensation in his right eye. A slight swelling of the bulbar conjunctiva was observed. A live, whitish, 10 cm-long nematode was extracted from the subconjunctival space. Results: Histology revealed typical features of a filarial nematode belonging to the genus Dirofilaria sp. Molecular analysis with Polymerase Chain Reaction confirmed that the extracted nematode was a male of Dirofilaria immitis. The removal of the parasite lead to complete resolution of symptoms. Conclusions: Ocular human dirofilariosis due to infection with the filarial nematode D. immitis is extremely rare, but should be considered in humans living in Italian endemic areas.