Human extrapulmonary dirofilariasis in Texas

Human pulmonary infection due to the dog heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, has been reported in the medical literature for many decades. Extrapulmonary infection due to this pathogen is less widely reported, including only nine cases in North America. We report a case of extrapulmonary dirofilariasis manifested as asymptomatic nodular lesions in the anterior abdominal wall of a patient having exploratory laparotomy for carcinoma. We review previously reported cases and discuss the pathophysiology of both pulmonary and extrapulmonary dirofilariasis.