Could climate change cause an increase in the incidence of parasitic worms making their way into…
Could climate change cause an increase in the incidence of parasitic worms making their way into people’s eyes? A 2014 case series published in the Middle East African Journal of Ophthalmology suggests it’s a possibility. Dirofilaria repens is a parasitic worm endemic in Mediterranean countries. It mostly affects animals. Though rare, it can be transmitted to humans by mosquito bites. The 10.5-mm-long wriggling worm in this video was removed from the subconjunctival space with forceps and under anesthesia. The 2014 series included 8 cases, 5 of which were subconjunctival (1 masquerading as nodular scleritis) and were removed through a conjunctival incision, 2 cases were intravitreal and were removed with vitrectomy, and 1 was intraorbital (adjacent to the roof of the orbit). The 2014 study reviewed charts of all patients with ocular dirofilariasis after the year 2000, treated at a tertiary referral center in Greece. “Eight cases were recorded after the year 2000, 7 appeared within the last 6 years (4 cases within the last 3 years). The majority of cases involved residents of the Ionian Islands (7 of 8 cases).” Video credit goes to Anitha Venugopal, MBBS, MS.
By aaoeye
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