Neglected parasitic infection: toxocariasis

Description

A healthy 34-year-old Japanese man presented with a 10-day history of epigastralgia. He had eaten seared chicken sashimi several times. Physical examination findings were not remarkable. Laboratory findings revealed marked eosinophilia (20 x10⁹/L). Chest CT revealed multiple nodules in the lung surrounded by a halo (figure 1). Abdominal contrast-enhanced CT revealed multiple low-attenuating nodules in the liver (figure 2). An ELISA for Toxocara was strongly positive; thus, a diagnosis of toxocariasis was established. After treatment with albendazole, his symptoms and eosinophilia improved, and the pulmonary and liver lesions disappeared.

Figure 1

Chest CT image showing multiple nodules surrounded by a halo.

Figure 2

Contrast-enhanced abdominal CT image showing multiple low-attenuation lesions in the liver.

Toxocariasis is a parasitic disease caused by the larvae of the roundworm Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati. Toxocariasis...

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