Ocular Dirofilariasis Case in Thailand Confirmed by Molecular Analysis to Be Caused by Dirofilaria immitis

Abstract

ABSTRACT. A rare ocular dirofilariasis case along with the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome is reported. A whitish roundworm (10.6 cm long and 0.5 mm width) emerged from the pterygium, a triangular tissue growth on the cornea of the eye, of a male patient. The worm had a rounded anterior part, mouth without lips, smooth cuticular surface, and short rounded posterior tail with spicules: these features suggested that it was a male Dirofilaria sp. Molecular identification confirmed that the worm belonged to Dirofilaria immitis. This is the first molecular confirmation that D. immitis is a causative agent of ocular dirofilariasis in Thailand: dirofilariasis is a newly emerging zoonotic disease. Physicians should be alert to zoonotic filarial worms and knowledgeable about treatment of this disease.