Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Restoration of Damaged Ocular Nerve, Peking University Third Hospital, No 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Peking University People's Hospital, No.11 Xizhimen South Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100044, China.
BMC Ophthalmol. 2024 Nov 28;24(1):514. doi: 10.1186/s12886-024-03776-0.
Thelaziasis is a zoonotic disease mainly caused by Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae, Thelazia), which can cause mild to severe signs and lesions, such as foreign body sensation, itching, tearing, eye pain, conjunctival bleeding, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, and even blindness. Thelaziasis cases have been reported mainly in agricultural areas and areas with high potential for contact with domestic animals [1].
We report a case of Thelazia callipaeda infection in the right eye of a 41-year-old woman working in an office. The patient presented with persistent foreign body sensation, pruritus, and redness despite initial treatment with polyethylene glycol and levofloxacin eye drops. Subsequent examination revealed the presence of multiple Thelazia callipaeda worms, which were successfully removed. Postoperative treatment with gatifloxacin eye ointment resulted in significant symptom relief with no recurrence over two months.
This case highlights the thelaziasis in urban settings, emphasizing the need for ophthalmologists to consider parasitic infections in differential diagnosis even in well-maintained environments. Then, we provided an overview of human thelaziasis in China by mining publicly available databases from 2014 to 2023, suggesting a difference in regional distribution that warrants further epidemiological studies.
嗜眼线虫病是一种由犬首嗜眼线虫（旋尾目，嗜眼科，嗜眼属）引起的人兽共患疾病，可引起轻度至重度症状和病变，如异物感、瘙痒、流泪、眼痛、结膜出血、结膜炎、角膜溃疡，甚至失明。嗜眼线虫病病例主要报告于农业区和与家畜接触机会高的地区[1]。
我们报告了一例 41 岁办公室女性右眼犬首嗜眼线虫感染病例。患者在最初使用聚乙二醇和左氧氟沙星滴眼液治疗后仍持续有异物感、瘙痒和发红。随后的检查发现有多个犬首嗜眼线虫，成功将其取出。术后使用加替沙星眼膏治疗，症状明显缓解，两个月内无复发。
本病例强调了城市环境中的嗜眼线虫病，提示眼科医生即使在环境良好的情况下，也需要考虑寄生虫感染作为鉴别诊断。然后，我们通过挖掘 2014 年至 2023 年公开可用的数据库，概述了中国的人体嗜眼线虫病，提示区域分布存在差异，需要进一步开展流行病学研究。
