First case of cutaneous human dirofilariosis in Slovak Republic

Dirofilariosis is a zoonotic disease caused by several species of the genus of Dirofilaria. The causative agent initiates a dangerous canine disease reported from many parts of the globe. The parasites are transmitted by arthropods, which act either as a vector or intermediate hosts. In humans the parasites do not usually reach the adult stage but microfilaremia is absent because of mating impossibility. Human dirofilariosis is caused by D. immitis or D. repens and has been reported from many parts of the world including European countries, namely Italy, France, Spain and Greece. Sporadically, this parasitosis is detected in Central European countries such as Hungary and Switzerland. The presented paper reports the first case of human cutaneous dirofilariosis in Slovakia. The clinical manifestation was a typical subcutaneous granuloma with the adult worm in the center. The identification of Dirofilaria repens was made based on morphological appearance of the parasite. The patient 60 years old, lives in the area where in 2005 six cases of canine dirofilariosis caused by the same species were reported (Fig. 2, Ref. 16).